


Let Them Eat Cake

by EndoratheWitch



Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Bakery, F/M, Human AU, New Job, Sex, cursing, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-13 18:33:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 36,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4532784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndoratheWitch/pseuds/EndoratheWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bog is a baker with Marianne starting as a new pastry chef</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baking Bread

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to and inspired by:
> 
> Frootilla thatchickwiththeheadphones and pererinthings (at tumblr)
> 
> I was going to include the recipes but they are a bit long to include in the notes. SO, if you would like one of the recipes mentioned in this chapter (promise there will be future chapters as well) Just drop me a note here and I will send it along to you.

It was early morning as Bog's mother came into the back kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron as the wonderful smell of fresh scones and baking bread wafted over her. She could see her son as he kneaded the dough for more bread and rolls. As usual, Bog was beating the bread dough within an inch of its life, a scowl on his face. Griselda was surprised their bread even sold well; lately, the pain and spite that her son was beating into the dough surely had to translate to the taste. Maybe more people were suffering heartache than she thought. It was a sad thought if that was why their bread and rolls sold so well, it could be that the customers shared the feelings that Bog put into their baked goods. 

Bog punched the dough a few times and then kneaded it, shoving and pushing the dough. Flour covered his upper arms and the front of his t-shirt as he scowled at the offending dough before he turned it and dropped it into a bowl. He threw a towel over the dough and slid the whole thing into a corner to rise. He moved about the kitchen like a beast stalking prey as he checked on something in the oven then opened a freezer to get some more dough out for some other creation. Bog carried the frozen pie dough to the other side of the kitchen, checking on some items in the ovens as he went. He snarled at the other minor bakers in the kitchen as he passed them, critically eyeing whatever they were creating. Everyone worked as quickly and quietly as possible, but they could feel that an explosion was imminent. Bog's temper was bad most times, but it had been worse since “she who shall not be named” broke his heart, crushed it and burned it to a crisp. Now, no one was allowed to mention love or anything associated with it. Wedding cakes or Valentine's cakes were to be handled by other bakers out of Bog's visual range or there was a risk that these items would end up on the wall or worse, on the offending baker. 

His mother sighed, hoping the new pastry chef that started today had a thick hide—she was going to need it. 

Marianne was pissed. The day had not started out the way she hoped. Her alarm clock did not go off on time (probably a power surge or something) and now she was running late for her new job at one of the best bakeries in the city, The Dark Forest. The elderly woman who she interviewed with was pretty strange, but nice enough. She had hired her almost as soon as Marianne walked in for the interview. She had not met the head baker—who everyone called Bog—during the interview. It was only the little old woman who hired her. Bog was known throughout the baking world as one of the best, but also one of the most particular and nasty. The stories she had heard about him could curdle cream. He was a perfectionist and demanded the best from everyone. Marianne was fairly confident in her skills, but she still hoped to impress him and maybe even surprise him. She had graduated at the top of her class, had done some training as a pastry chef in several high end restaurants. She had even competed in a few of those baking shows on the Food Network, each time winning. She probably could have worked anywhere, bigger more exclusive places, but she was not in it for the glory. She wanted to work in a place like The Dark Forest Bakery that focused on quality baked goods for everyone, plus the place had such a rich, family tradition. It was exactly what she was looking for. A place to use her skills and just make people happy with sugar, flour and a bit of magic. 

Her mother had use to say that was what baking was, a bit of magic that could bring back fond family memories, or create new ones like wedding cakes and a child's favorite cookie. Marianne smiled, remembering her mother as the bus slowly started to come to a stop. Baking was about creating something that could stay with a person long after the food was gone. It was about creating memories and happiness even when things went wrong. 

Finally, the bus pulled up to her stop and she nearly bowled people over on her way out, carrying her bag, which contained her recipes, her own cooking tools, and her lucky apron. She ran down the street, huffing and puffing and then around the back of the shop to the kitchen entrance. She pulled the door open at the same moment she heard a very thickly accented, very angry Scottish voice yelling at full volume. She turned a corner at the same moment a cake came flying by her head. Marianne just barely dodged out of the way in time as she heard, “You dare to call that mess a Gateau??? Did you even taste it?? I would not give that to my worst enemy! Do it again!” 

What appeared to be a Chocolate Whiskey Gateau slowly left a dark trail of chocolate and cream as it slid down the wall leaving behind a mess that made it look very much like a CSI crime scene, except the crime was in chocolate. She looked around to see a very tall, lean man snarling at another man who was very short and plump, covered in flour and chocolate, wringing his plump hands in front of him as the Scotsman leaned over him like a thunderstorm about to spit lightning. The short man looked confused to be yelled at, but he stood there and took the punishment without muttering a word. The tall man stalked over to the other end of the room as the short gentleman glanced over at a taller, burly woman who shrugged and motioned him to her side. 

Marianne frowned, not sure what would happen next when she saw the woman who had hired her. The older woman, Griselda (she thought she remembered her name correctly) waved her over. Marianne moved to meet her across the room. 

“Ah, good! You got here! We could use your help. Bog is in a mood,” the old woman said in her slightly gravelly voice. 

Marianne leaned over to see “Bog” busy at work at another counter. Anger seemed to radiate from his tense shoulders. He was working on putting together a series of traditional Cranachan in some rather lovely dessert glasses. He set them in a small refrigerator that held other desserts. Griselda grabbed Marianne's upper arm and steered her to the other side of the bakery's kitchen, away from Bog. “You can start over here. We have an order of oatcakes that is going to be picked up later this morning. Think you can handle that?” 

Marianne tried not to make a face; oatcakes were simple, but she nodded. “Sure, no problem. How many?” 

Griselda pulled out a pad and looked through it. “The order is for three dozen.” 

Marianne nodded. “Consider it done.” 

Over the course of the day, Griselda was the one to give Marianne orders while Bog stalked the kitchen, snarling and snapping at everyone though he steered clear of her. He saw her at one point, his blue eyes widening in surprise when they bumped into one another going for a particular oven. He had started to open his mouth, to possibly yell, but the cold brown stare she gave him, daring him to yell at her, stopped him short, made him snap his mouth shut. For a split second, Bog the mighty looked unsure what to do. Instead, he snorted before he turned on his heel and walked away. Marianne grinned to herself as if she won some sort of battle and turned on her heel with a spring in her step. Marianne had dealt with asses, perfectionists and misogynists during her schooling and apprenticeship. A grump would be easy. 

At the end of the day, Marianne was washing up, cleaning her station for the millionth time that day and putting her tools that she brought with her into her bag. She was exhausted, but it hadn't been that bad. It had felt good to be baking for people who really loved it. She got to work the counter once or twice over the day and the customer base here was grand. They were so nice and happy, the looks on people's faces when they bit into something, whether she made it or not, was fantastic. It made her feel happier inside than all the fancy restaurants she had trained in as a pastry chef. The other thing that she found interesting was watching Bog out there dealing with customers. He was actually really sweet, especially with the children, giving any kids that came in a free cookie. For being such a grump in the kitchen, he was a sweetheart out there with the kids. She found it really strange, that this man seemed to have two completely different sides. As she finished up, she thought about how maybe in a few days she could ask to try some new things for the bakery, some of her own recipes. She was about ready to walk out the door when Bog came up to her. He looked down his impressive nose at her. 

“So you're Marianne, the new pastry chef my mother hired to bring something new to the bakery?” 

Marianne met his look with her own impressive glare up her perky little nose, resisting the urge to stand on tip toe to look at him. “Yes, I am.” 

He said nothing, just stared down his nose at her. She noticed his nice blue eyes, which annoyed her a bit because they were rather nice before Bog simply turned on his heel, walking away as he said over his shoulder, “You better live up to your reputation, tough girl.” 

Marianne watched him walk away and she narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I will.” She stuck her tongue out at his back and then hurried out to catch her bus.


	2. Vanilla is not always Vanilla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marianne shows a grumpy Scottish baker she can indeed bake.

The end of the week came quickly. It had not been as bad as she first thought it might have been. The baker who was the focus of Bog's wrath that first day was Thang. Marianne discovered that Stuff was his wife, the rather gruff looking woman who was actually quite nice. Marianne wondered about the nicknames, but every time she tried to find out their real names, she got distracted. The other bakers were nice and actually very easy going, which probably explained why most of them still worked here. Additionally, many of them were some type of relative to Bog and his mother Griselda; even the huge delivery man, Brutus, was a cousin to Bog. The overall working eviroment was pleasant despite the occasional Bog-rage incident if something burned or was not made to Bog's satisfaction. 

Overall, her encounters with Bog were more stare downs than actual confrontations. Bog seemed to be trying to stay clear of her. It was if he could not decide what to do with her. While he roared and yelled at the other bakers, he would simply avoid Marianne. She grinned to herself, thinking maybe he was a bit scared of her though she was not sure why. The worst he would do would be to glare at her, those blue eyes looking stormy, but otherwise he never yelled at her. His mouth twitched as if he wanted to unleash invectives, but he kept silent. 

It was Friday and Marianne made sure to arrive very early. It was just turning 4:30 am when she hopped off the bus, thinking she might have some extra time to put together a few new pastries for Griselda and maybe even Bog, if he did not run away from her. As she walked in front of the bakery, she was surprised to see that the lights were on in the back of the shop. She made her way around to the back door, finding it already unlocked. She slipped inside to be greeted by the sound of someone singing softly and the enchanting smells of fresh bread and baked sugar. As she entered the kitchen, Marianne stopped short when she saw Bog. He was swaying a bit with a large bowl under his arm, stirring as he sang. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, though the shirt hung open and his dark hair was slicked back with one lock loose over his forehead. 

He stirred the batter as he moved his slim hips in time to the tune that he sang. The rhythm of his stirring matched his singing and the sway of his hips. Marianne could not help but notice that he had a pleasant singing voice and his hips were pretty nice too. 

Marianne mentally slapped herself, no ogling the boss, especially after what happened last time with her relationship with Roland, not just an ex-boss but also ex-fiance. For a moment her memory jumped back to that disasterous relationship with Roland, but then she shook her head and snapped herself back to the present and the Scottish baker in front of her. She physically shook her head and leaned around to see if anyone else was here. She glanced back and forth, but there was no one else in the room though she could see that Bog had been busy. 

There were Scottish oat scones and some apple scones already cooling on a rack. There were muffins that, from the smell, were bacon/cheese muffins and a few other hearty traditional baked goods for the morning rush. Freshly baked loafs of bread sat cooling on other racks as well as rolls and a line of danishes. Bog turned around picking up a pan, suddenly changing from singing softly to breaking out in full voice. Bog sang in Gaelic, really letting the song echo in the still kitchen when he turned around and stopped short when he saw her standing in the doorway watching him. 

Bog blushed a bright red that ran up his neck and flowed over his cheeks as he snarled, clearly using anger to hide his embarrassment, “How long ye been there, girl?” Marianne snorted at him, coming the rest of the way in and plopping her bag down on a counter in the corner. “Long enough and don't call me girl. The name is Marianne.” Bog frowned, looking unsure what to say or do next, but he muttered, “Mother said that you were a gifted pastry chef. She also said you had some ideas for new recipes—Marianne?” 

Marianne did not look at him as she pulled out her apron and her own tools. “Yeah, I have some things I have put together and some old recipes that your customers might find new and interesting. AND I am gifted if I do say so myself.” Bog muttered a bit, “I don't really see why we need anything new, but my mother seems to think it's a good idea. So why don't you show me what you got?” Marianne pressed her lips together, but Bog stepped aside and gave her a bow, no sarcasm that she could discern, just stepping out of the way and allowing her access to the rest of the kitchen. 

Marianne glanced over at him and then gave a wicked grin as she started gathering materials and ingredients. Bog tried not to smile as he watched her. She definitely knew her way around a kitchen and he liked the fact that she brought a few of her own tools with her, like an artist who favored a particular pencil or brush. She decided to impress him with something simple, but elegant, a vanilla crème brulee. It was fairly easy, a simple recipe that could highlight flavor and skill without trying to cover it up with fancy ingredients or unnecessary flourishes. It was a dessert that could clearly demonstrate what she was capable of. She started by stirring some light cream on the oven top.

As Bog watched her, he was impressed by her show of skill. She had a way about her as she moved through the kitchen. She held the spoon, stirring with just enough force. She added the vanilla without measuring it just having a sixth sense how much she needed. As Bog watched her, a bit stunned by the way she moved, it was like watching a professional dancer. Each movement was graceful and it was clear she enjoyed baking. Marianne seemed to glide across the kitchen as she picked up a large ceramic bowl and started to whisk the eggs with an economy of movement. She got the ramekins and the oven ready as she poured in the mixture to let the custard bake after skimming the tops without spilling a drop or making a mess of any kind. 

Next, she started the boiler and got out the brown sugar as she got everything ready to top the ramekins. Bog continued working on his own creations, but it was hard to stay focused as he kept turning to watch her. 

After another hour or two she had the brulee ready. She pulled the cooled custard out of the fridge and put a spoon in it. She walked over to where Bog was rolling out dough for Scottish Baps. He stopped as the custard appeared under his nose. He glanced at her as for a moment his hands touched hers as he grasped it. She slid her hand out from under his, hoping the burning on her cheeks was not visible. He looked down at the dish, could smell the delightful aroma of vanilla as he spooned out a large portion and slowly stuck it in his mouth. 

Marianne watched him intently, her pretty brown eyes expectant as she waited for his verdict. For a moment, it was as if he was frozen. Bog did nothing but stand there with the spoon in his mouth and then he slowly removed it, his eyes gradually widening. He turned those incredible eyes on her. They were so blue, a beautiful blue that she would be hard pressed to find a word to describe them. He actually smiled. “Now, that is like heaven! Where on earth did you learn to bake like that?” 

Marianne blushed, but tried to hide it as she turned away to clean up her area. “Glad you liked it. It's a recipe of my mother's.” Bog took another bite with a goofy grin. “It is amazing.” He turned toward her as if he were about to say something else, but there was a noise in the back and Griselda came in, stopping short when she saw the two of them standing close together. Even from across the kitchen, it was clear that something made her eyes sparkle. Bog nearly leapt away from Marianne, putting down the brulee as if the thing were on fire. Marianne felt herself blush even more, turning to quickly occupy herself with cleaning. She gave Bog a very professional (at least she hoped so) attitude as she said, “Anything else you need me to do?” 

Bog cleared his throat, “Yes, ah there are, uh, the specials for today.” He glanced at his mother who was grinning like crazy as she said, “Yes, we need some shortbread cookies made and I got some wonderful local apples out in the car for apple pies today.” About that time the other bakers started to arrive and Bog was able to retreat to yelling out orders and avoiding Marianne. Meanwhile, Marianne was able to remain busy with filling orders and making the fresh baked goods for the day. Though, every once in a while, her eyes darted over to Bog. He held himself a bit stiffly and if he glanced over at her and their eyes met, he would quickly look away, sometimes dropping a spoon or bumping into a counter and then cursing. 

That night, Bog drove home, his thoughts on Marianne. Granted, it was only one thing, just a simple brulee, but it really was amazing. He pressed his lips together, thinking that perhaps he should talk to her about what else she could make for the bakery, how to expand what they offered to the public. But then he thought about that gleam in his mother's eyes. She hadn't been trying too hard on the matchmaking, especially after that last lady left having slapped Bog in the face. If he mentioned wanting to talk to Marianne, his mother would be all over that in a heartbeat, trying to set the two of them up. Bog rolled his eyes as he came to a stop at a traffic light. Alright, he could do this, he could talk to her about the bakery. He nodded, determined to do so tomorrow, his mother's meddling be damned, and he would NOT think about the way Marianne smiled while she worked. 

Marianne sat on the bus, staring out the window as the street lights flashed by, creating a hypnotizing affect. It was so strange, the way his being happy made her feel. She sighed. Damn it, tomorrow, business, business only. She nodded to herself. She could do this, who cared that he had a sexy voice and hips, damn Scottish baker.


	3. A Waste of Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! Roland...

The next morning Bog arrived at 3:30 a.m, nervous and having had a hard time sleeping since she kept popping up in his dreams. He tried to focus on baking and not on when Marianne would arrive so he could talk to her. Bog kept telling himself it was only about the menu, not a big deal, business. He was finally able to start focusing on creating a Deep Chocolate Cake that was to be served in slices. The rhythm and movements of bringing the ingredients together, along with the song he started to sing under his breath as he worked, helped to calm his nerves. He had just finished frosting the cake in a thick dark chocolate frosting and had just pulled it out of the refrigerator. He was carefully cutting each slice as exact as he could when Marianne walked in from the back. Bog turned so fast at the sound of her entering, he almost dropped the chocolate covered cake knife, his eyes widening when he saw her standing there. She was dressed in leggings and a cute purple t-shirt and she was even cuter today than yesterday. He could feel his heart hammer hard against his chest as he quickly tried to school his features into unimpressed neutrality. 

Marianne pressed her lips together to prevent herself from smiling too much when she saw Bog already here as she was starting to realize was the usual. He looked so adorable. Bog stared at her, looking a tiny bit scared with a smear of chocolate across one cheek and what looked like a smear of raspberry on his chin. For a moment the idea of walking up to him and licking the chocolate off his cheek raced through her mind, surprising her. She quickly threw that idea down the deep, dark pit where it belonged, but damn if it didn't hang on by its fingernails and stare at her over the edge. Stupid rebellious thoughts! 

“Ah, yes good morning.” Bog gave her an unsure smile as Marianne walked over to one of the counters and set her bag down. She tried to only give him a brief glance of her brown eyes over her shoulder as she replied, “Morning.” Bog stood unmoving, holding the chocolate covered knife as if he suddenly couldn't remember what he had been doing before she entered. His eyes darted around as if he had no idea what to do next. He knew he felt and probably looked like a trapped animal. Marianne stood there and glanced down at her hands and then up at him, her own nervousness making her shy at least with him. “Did you need to me to do something specific today?” 

Bog rocked back on his feet for a moment, still holding the chocolate knife. He looked at the knife as if just now realizing he was still holding it. She sighed softly. Damn him for looking adorable with the chocolate and raspberry smears on his face; the stupid licking urge reared itself out of the pit again and she mentally shoved it down AGAIN. Bog stammered, “Ah yes, yes actually. I wanted you to make a few new things for the menu today. Ummm, yes.” 

Marianne grinned. “You sure, because I have all sorts of things I can make!” Bog shrugged looking nervous. “Ah whatever you would like.” Marianne nodded, happy to have something else to focus on that was not licking Bog. She then pulled out a small book from her bag. It looked more like a diary, but inside were her treasured recipes from her mother. She knew most of them by heart, but she always kept the book with her and liked to look over the recipes. It reminded her of cooking in the kitchen while her mother watched over her shoulder and gave her gentle instructions. It took Marianne back to memories of when she was a child standing on tiptoe as she watched her mother bake, the rich smells of baked sweets making all things that were bad fade away. The scent of vanilla, the taste of sugar and the love that her mother put into each baked cookie or danish was surrounded with her mother's love like a warm hug. 

Bog walked a bit closer to her and glanced at the book with a quizzical expression. Marianne smiled. “ My mothers book of recipes.” Bog nodded, “Oh.” He glanced sideways at her and Marianne saw understanding in those blue eyes of his. She gave him a small smile that he returned, and then the licking urge waved its fingers at her. Marianne took a deep breath and set to work. She decided on three things that her mother made that were simple. She thought these simple cookies would sell well, plus while she would not say anything out loud, she knew that the children that Bog liked to give cookies to would love these. The thought of Bog giving out cookies made her smile as she worked. 

She started with macaroons, which were popular; since it was heading to the beginning of fall she decided on fall colors for the macarrons. Next, she would make chocolate chip cookies, always an old favorite for children and adults everywhere, with a secret touch of love from her mother, a bit of baking magic and an old fashioned carrot cake to be sold in slices. Soon, she was hard at work as the other bakers started flowing in, all thoughts of licking Bog successfully put away. Bog watched her, admiring her despite his better judgment. She didn't seem aware of the way she danced a bit as she worked, the smile that stayed on her lips as she was whisked away by her baking. He had just turned back to finishing with his cake when he was called out front by one of the girls that worked the counter. He assumed it to be one of the kids that usually came in for a cookie. He had not been gone more than half an hour when she heard his voice and its amazing ability to go from sexy to enraged. 

“I dunna know who ye think ye are, but ye are not getting into my kitchen!!” Everyone in the kitchen went quiet and turned toward the sound of Bog's voice, all eyes widening in fear. Marianne felt all the blood drain from her face when another voice joined in the yelling, Roland Knight, her ex-fiance. 

“Look. I am here to see Marianne and I don't care that you own this...place” 

Roland managed to put so much dripping insult into the word “place” she could almost feel his revulsion, but that was when someone else yelled. There were some other shouts and then the clear sound of something wet hitting something else, which was then followed by Roland's annoying voice loudly cursing and very colorfully. For a moment, 

Marianne was surprised Roland actually knew that many curse words. 

Marianne ran out to the front of the bakery, stopping short, the swinging kitchen door hitting her in the back. She stood there, trying not to laugh when she saw Roland covered in what looked to be the remains of molten chocolate cake running down his face and covering his blonde hair. Bog was towering over him, looking ready to follow the cake with a fist to the nose. The front of the bakery was clear, most of the patrons gone having afield, except for a few customers sitting at a table or two who looked to be frozen in place. Another couple at a corner table had their phones out and were filming the entire incident. 

Bog snarled, “Get out of my bakery, you pompous ass!” 

Roland smiled that bright smile of his that everyone seemed to find charming, except for Marianne who knew exactly what that smile meant. Roland sneered, “Look, cockroach. Perhaps Marianne should be the one to decide whether I leave or not.” Roland's attractive green eyes had found her standing in the kitchen doorway. Bog turned, his expression stormy, his eyes hard, but for a moment his blue eyes looked a bit unsure as Roland shoved passed him, walking toward Marianne. He was trying to remain charming despite the chocolate continuing to leak down his face. 

“Roland! What are you doing here??” Marianne glared hard, her hands on her hips. She still managed to look cute despite the anger clear on her face. Roland continued to smile, getting down on one knee, his hands out pleading. “Darling, buttercup. I came to win you back! Especially when I heard you had lowered yourself to working someplace like this...” 

He frowned with mock sincerity as he motioned with his hands taking in the bakery and Bog who looked about ready to throw Roland in an oven. Marianne glared and even Bog took a step away from her as she marched right up to Roland and shoved him hard, knocking him back on his ass. 

“Look, you lost any chance of getting me back when I found you in bed with those twins! Roland, just get out before I do something worse than throw a cake at you!” Roland stood up, looking shocked and confused to have been rejected. He stood there covered in chocolate, staring between Bog and Marianne and then his eyes narrowed just slightly. 

“You are going to pay for this.” Roland directed his comment toward Bog before he turned on his heels and walked out of the bakery with as much dignity a chocolate covered man could muster. The few patrons left in the bakery applauded and someone spoke up that they got it all on video. Bog turned to look at Marianne. His face was a picture of mixed emotions, from annoyed, angry, worried and something else she could not put a finger on. She stiffened her jaw and turned, walking back into the kitchen trying to push her humiliation at Roland showing up here down into the pit with her Bog licking urges. 

The rest of the day was tense. It was clear to all the other bakers that Bog and Marianne were both angry, but no one was sure if it was with each other, Roland or simply the situation. 

Near the end of the day Marianne, still feeling annoyed from the confrontation with Roland, approached Bog who tried to glare down at her, but instead he looked worried for her. Bog muttered, 

“What?” 

She pressed her lips together. 

“Look, I am sorry about Roland. I was engaged to him. I broke it off a while ago after I caught him cheating on me. Yes, I was stupid to think I loved him or that he loved me, but that should not affect my ability to work here.” 

Bog's expression was a cross between angry and hurt, which surprised her, but he sighed. “Fine, but if he shows up here again I will not be held responsible for what I might do.” 

Marianne actually smiled at that. “Well next time I will definitely help you throw him out, maybe we can hit him with two cakes.” Bog grinned and snorted. She smiled at him, biting her bottom lip for a moment and then playfully punched Bog in the shoulder. He chuckled, rubbing his shoulder as he turned back to work. 

Late that evening after Marianne had left, Bog sighed, not sure why it upset him so much that she had been involved with Roland Knight. Everyone knew who Roland Knight was—he owned that up and coming French restaurant and bakery and he was like the Gentleman's Quarterly model of the baking world. Roland was suave, good-looking and the public loved him. Bog kinda remembered hearing about Knight being engaged, but had not paid much attention. He had seen a few pictures of Knight and figured he was more looks than actual baking skills, but to know that Marianne had fallen for such an ass...He sighed, well everyone made mistakes, look at him. He had had his heart broken too. He had fallen in love with the wrong woman and had been hurt. Actually, she had destroyed him. He ran his hand over the back of his neck with a deep sigh. Well, he would do whatever he could to keep Roland away from her. The thought surprised him, he would protect her from Roland if he could. She deserved better than that pompous ass. 

Marianne leaned back in her seat on the bus, a slight snarl on her face as the thought of Roland having found her, the fact that he even thought she would take him back! And Bog's face! He looked not just angry, but she would swear he was upset. She sighed rubbing a hand down her face, but then chuckled under her breath thinking about the chocolate running down Roland's face. She could not believe that Bog dumped a whole cake on Roland's head, classic! She sighed again, remembering the smile on Bog's face when she said she would help him get rid of Roland. Damn it all, she liked it whenever Bog smiled and those damn blue eyes of his!! As her thoughts started to wander, she groaned, damn it Marianne, no blue eyes! No thinking of licking cheeks or the chin of your boss! She lightly knocked the side of her head against the window of the bus in a failed attempt to knock some sense into herself. But that night as she drifted off to sleep in her small apartment, she saw blue eyes in a long face singing and swaying his hips as he made her a molten chocolate cake and she licked chocolate off his chin.


	4. Apple Cake Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creating something new and learning something new

Within days the video ended up on Youtube, which actually brought them more business. Apparently Roland was not as well liked as Roland thought he was. Marianne was still asleep when her cellphone went off, the sound of “Here Comes the Sun” echoed through the remains of her dream as she rolled over, her eyes still closed and grabbed the phone hitting the button and groaning, “Dawn, what are you doing up?” 

Dawn squealed, “I just saw the video!! Oh. My. God!! Is that the angry guy you work for?? He is sorta cute! I love that accent! I can't believe he threw a WHOLE cake on Roland's head!” 

Marianne laid there with her eyes closed and mumbling in a soft voice, “You really should breathe between sentences, Dawn.” 

Dawn giggled. “ Soooo spill—is that dude the angry baker?” 

Marianne chuckled. “Yeah, his name is Bog.” 

She could almost hear the frown in Dawn's voice. “Bog? Huh. So he looks cool. You ask him out yet?” 

“DAWN!!!” 

“What? It is a legitimate question!” 

Marianne groaned. “I have to go to work. Call you later, okay?” 

She could almost visualize Dawn's cute frown. “You better or I will come over there and make you tell me everything!” 

Over the next few weeks, Marianne and Bog spoke more, with a little less glaring and more communication. Marianne came in early, as usual, yet Bog still always managed to be there first. He gave her a small, shy smile as he nodded at her and she returned the gesture. Today she wanted to discuss with him adding some of her mother's recipes to the menu. Bog was busy as he mixed something in a large ceramic bowl. The divine smell suggested he was working on pecan coffee cake that morning when he glanced over his shoulder at her. 

She felt her breath catch at the glint of blue eyes over his shoulder, but she quickly shoved it down. He gave her a small smile, though there was something there, a shimmer of heat within his eyes. Bog turned, about to say something to her when his mother came out of the walk-in freezer. “Ah, there you are, Marianne! I had this wonderful idea!” 

Bog groaned. “Mother...” 

“Oh hush, Bog, this will be fun! I thought you and Bog could enter a local televised baking contest! It would be great for the shop and I heard last night that Roland Knight was going to be entering.” Griselda waggled her eyebrows. 

Both Bog and Marianne snarled at the same time, “What?!” 

Griselda grinned. “Yup. He is going to be representing that French bakery that is part of that high end restaurant, Chevalier Gateau.” 

Marianne hissed. “He can't even bake that well! What the hell is he doing?” 

Griselda smiled. “Well, from what I heard he actually put a challenge out against my boy here. Threw down the glove, the whole nine yards!” 

Bog stood up straighter, looking highly offended. “What?” 

Marianne muttered. “What a pompous ass.” 

Griselda was still grinning. “Well,l I thought if you two teamed up against him, well it might be fun for you both.” 

Bog looked over at Marianne and she looked up at him. They smiled at the same time. Suddenly their shyness around one another was put aside in their mutal need to destroy Roland. Griselda quickly got the other bakers taking up the slack as suddenly Bog and Marianne were in the corner of the kitchen, their heads practially together, going over his old cookbooks and her mother's book. Griselda smiled happily. She practically sang as she moved around the kitchen and shop. 

Bog and Marianne talked long into the night the first night as they made plans. Over the next few evenings they would stay after hours for a while to talk about possible recipes or look through her mother's book. Marianne discovered that Bog had an old cookbook that had been his father's that was full of recipes that he laid open in front of her. It was such a sign of trust that for a moment she was speechless. That evening they were discussing possible cakes and Bog was making notes when he made some comment about how they could make a poison cake or Red Wine Chocolate bonbons, but filling them with cough syrup instead and feed them to Roland, when Marianne laughed. “Bog, no!” She grabbed the pen from him. Bog chuckled and reached for the pen that she held up over her head, but as Bog grabbed for her wrist, his stool tipped dangerously forward and he lost his balance. 

Bog fell into her, Marianne grabbed for him, her stool going backwards. Bog yelped as he grabbed for her and tried to twist so that he was the one who hit the floor. Bog had his arms protectively around her when his back slammed against the floor. Bog made a loud “Ooff!!” sound as he hit, but then he rolled with a slight groan of pain when his head smacked against the floor. Marianne yelped in surprise when they fell. Bog had grabbed her and rolled to protect her head, one arm around her back, the other hand cradled the back of her head as he rolled and hit. Suddenly, she was aware that she was in his arms on top of him and he had smacked his head against the tiled floor. She quickly pushed herself up and looked down at him. “Oh my God, Bog, are you alright?” 

Bog blinked, stunned from hitting his head and the fact that he had her in his arms. He seemed just a bit dazed, but his cheeks were bright red as he held his arm around her, his large hand still cradled her head. She wiggled a bit and reached around to check the back of Bog's head. Bog yelped with a wince when she touched the knot. She immediately scrambled out of his arms and rushed to get some ice. Bog slowly sat up as he held the back of his head trying not to groan, but his head was spinning and pain shot from back to front making him moan. He bent his long legs up so he could rest his arms on them and hang his head between them as he tried to sort out the pounding in his head. He reached back again to feel the small goose egg, the tips of his fingers bloody. He muttered some curse as Marianne hurried back. She dropped to her knees and leaned in close to put the ice on the back of his head. Bog jumped at the pain and coldness of the ice before relaxing again. She looked at him, concern etched on her delicate features. 

“Maybe we should get you to a hospital?” 

Bog chuckled and then winced in pain. “Nah, it's fine.” 

Marianne frowned deeply, staring at him with a critical eye. For a moment they both just sat there on the kitchen floor as they stared at one another. 

Marianne frowned softly, he really was nice looking with his long, sharp features and those eyes of his! Bog stared at her; her eyes were soft, like thick creamy caramel and this close, he realized she smelled like vanilla. Neither of them knew what was happening before they had both leaned in to each other. At first, their lips just brushed against one another, but then his mouth opened just slightly as if he was trying to breathe her in. He closed his eyes as he put down one hand to balance himself and moved his free hand behind her head to pull her closer. Bog threaded his fingers through her hair, just the tip of his tongue a whisper against her lips. She responded without a second thought. She dropped the ice and moved between his long legs. She dropped her hands to his shoulders as she scooted closer to him on her knees and opened her mouth to him. Their tongues met and if Bog was feeling any pain right then, he didn't show it. 

Their tongues touching was like a gate being opened. Bog deepened the kiss as Marianne's hands formed into fists on his shoulders, gathering up the cloth of his shirt as she pulled him closer. His long, nimble fingers moved down from her hair to stroke the back of her neck, adjusting the angle of his mouth to take her tongue, his teeth scraping gently against it. Marianne could not keep a moan from escaping as she nipped his bottom lip in response. 

They both became lost in the kiss, time seeming to slowly or disappear completely as the only thing they were both aware of was each other. Their tongues explored each others' mouths in hot, wet kisses that bordered on giving way to sizzling passion. She felt the sensual tickle of the stubble along his chin and cheeks as his mouth moved over hers. It was rough against her face in a way that sent chills of expectation down her spine, rough in the most delicious of ways that sent her mind racing with possiblities. He smelled of spices and other delicious scents of the bakery. But his mouth tasted like sugar. That urge to lick him came back strong, with thoughts of running her tongue down his neck and over his chest, to hear him groan. 

He slowly moved to lay back down on the kitchen floor. He pulled Marianne with him, guiding her down on top of him. Marianne sprawled on top of him, moving a hand behind Bog's head to cradle where it was injured, but neither of them pulled away. He only winced slightly, but the taste of her vanilla mouth and the feel of her warmth against him, the way she molded herself against his lean frame was far too distracting to worry about little things like concussions. 

They stayed like that for neither knew how long and they kissed until their lips were chapped. She shivered at the feel of the rough callouses of his fingers along her neck while his other hand had snaked under the hem of her t-shirt so she could feel those fingers against the skin of her lower back. She pressed against him where she could feel the muscles of his arm around her, the feel of his body, the flex of his stomach muscles move, the heat coming from him. “Oh, no!” was all she could think, but it was a not really a warning, but more of “Oh, no! I am falling for him! You damn idiot, Marianne!” 

They slowly pulled back from each other and Bog looked shocked at what had just happened and then blushed furiously. Marianne's cheeked flushed crimson as she looked down at him, her eyes wide. 

“Ah, I am, oh god, I am so sorry.” His accent became thicker in his nervousness and sudden awkwardness. He started to try to stand up, but Marianne grabbed his arm. 

“Bog?” He stopped as she put a hand down on his chest. She had to smile, his eyes were so nervous, unsure, but then she smiled at him. Bog pressed his lips together. “I don't want you to think I am taking advantage of you or you to feel...I don't know...I mean look at me...you don't need to feel like you have to...and I'm your boss...” 

Marianne blushed; damn this guy was sweet! He wasn't thinking of himself at all, but of her, what this kiss, this heat could do to her. She cut him off with another kiss and hoped that would be enough to let him know that she enjoyed the kiss. She took a deep breath. “Umm...I should see if I can still catch a bus. It's pretty late. Maybe tomorrow we could get together over lunch and discuss how we are going to crush Roland?” Bog nodded vigorously, but then winced as the pain hit him again. He then looked at his long fingers still stroking her neck and he very slowly pulled his hand back as if reluctant to do so. 

“I could give you a ride home if you would like?” Marianne smiled. “That would be great, but maybe I should drive you home.” Bog grinned embarrassed. “Okay.” 

On the way to Bog's home, they were nervously quiet, but then a song began playing on the radio that Marianne loved and she started to sing it softly under her breath. Bog grinned at her with a sideways glance at her and started to sing along. Soon they were singing loudly together and laughing. Bog ignored his headache to enjoy the singing. After a few more moments, Bog pointed her in the correct direction and then they were pulling up in front of his home. Bog's home was a small two bedroom with a trim front yard with a few trees that would cast the whole house in shadow during the day. 

Marianne helped him out since he had steadfastly refused to go to the hospital, but once she had him inside and sat him on his bed, she stood there with her hands on her hips. “I am going to sleep on the couch. Someone needs to keep an eye on you after that bump.” Bog blinked, unable to speak for a moment, but then Marianne squatted down and started to remove his boots. Bog sputtered, “Marianne!” 

She only looked up at him. “Get in bed. Do you have aspirin?” He nodded mutely and pointed down the hall. She stood and walked out, which caused Bog to move as quickly as he could to undress himself and pull on his pajama bottoms so she would not attempt to do it herself. 

She came back with a glass of water and two pills. She had to stop herself from staring as she saw Bog shirtless, but she gave him the pills and sat on the edge of the bed. “I just want to make sure you are alright since you would not go to the hospital, okay? If you're fine in the morning, then we can swing by my apartment and I can shower quickly before we go to work. Alright?” 

Bog made a face at her. “Do I have a choice?” 

Marianne grinned, her brown eyes twinkling. “Nope.” 

She leaned in, her nose touched his for a moment as she stared into his blue eyes. 

“You need anything, you call for me alright. And don't worry, I slept on my sister's couch for a month. I think I can handle yours for one night.” Before Bog could say another word, Marianne kissed him sweetly on the mouth, the remembered heat there from their earlier kiss and then she stood up and went into his living room. He watched her go with a deep swallow, wondering what was happening. 

The next morning, Bog felt better. A headache lingered and he would probably have to take aspirin over the course of the day, but they drove to her place with Bog driving. Bog waited in her living-room and flipped through a culinary magazine as he tried not to focus on the fact that she was wet and naked in the bath room. Soon, they were on their way to the bakery. They were still a bit awkward with each other, but Bog started asking about recipes in her mother's book and soon they were talking and discussing recipes, presentations and tastes that harmonized, passing the time while they drove to the bakery. 

They had decided to make something with a fall theme, apple tarts with almond cream from her mother's book, paired with apple cake with butterscotch sauce that his father used to make when Bog was a child. Two childhood recipes from their now gone loved ones which they would find a way to combine into something new. Bog smiled as he pulled in behind the bakery, liking the idea of pairing two desserts and creating something that was their own creation. Marianne bit her lip happily as she glanced sideways at Bog and his handsome profile. 

Over the next few days they worked on their recipes together. They made little changes and without even realizing it, their new developing friendship that was turning into something far deeper was being communicated into their baking, a certain type of magic, especially when they would steal kisses over the batter. They had their first new cake done for tasting at the end of the week. Griselda and a couple of the other bakers, Thang and Stuff, sat ready to try what they had created, an apple oatmeal cake with almond cream filling and a butterscotch frosting. They had managed to keep their stolen kisses from Griselda over the last week. Bog knew his mother would immediately be planning a wedding if she found out he and Marianne had kissed, especially more than once, though neither of them had pursued anything beyond stealing kisses and planning for this bake-off. 

Their taste testers sat at the counter as Bog slowly cut the cake, the warm, sweet aroma of baked apples with a light touch of butterscotch drifted up to fill the room. Marianne served the slices of cake as both she and Bog were clearly nervous to see if their combined effort created something wonderful. Griselda was the first to take a bite. The bite of cake melted in her mouth, the butterscotch creating liquid warmth reminding her of warm drinks and cozy blankets while the apple oatmeal cake was warm and tasted like spices and evoked thoughts of lovers curled in front of fires on a cold winter nights. She could taste the blossoming relationship between Bog and Marianne in each bite. Her eyes widened and twinkled as she looked between the two of them. Stuff and Thang both could not speak for a few minutes as they dug into their cake slices. Finally, Thang spoke around a mouth full. “This is incredible!” Griselda smiled slowly, giving them both a look as she said, “I think you two have a winner here.” 

Bog and Marianne smiled at each other and Griselda leaned on her fist, grinning between the two of them.


	5. The Bake Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contest, Bar, Jail

The day of the local baking competition came. Bog and Marianne were loading up the back of Bog's car, an old black 1973 Monte Carlo, with everything they would need. Both of them were actually pretty excited about working together; plus they had their shared urge to crush Roland. It had just started to rain outside, a gray drizzle that became a steady heavy rain by the time they arrived at the competition location. It was at a local hotel that was donating the use of their kitchen for publicity. Bog and Marianne were busy unloading their supplies at the back of the hotel when Roland came outside. He held a large umbrella over himself and with her arm draped on his shoulder was a woman who had to be a model of some sort. She had that too perfect look that was surely enhanced with some plastic and carefully applied cosmetics. Roland smiled, watching the two of them bring their supplies in as they both were being drenched by the rain. 

“You know, Marianne, you could still be my partner in this competition?” The model gave Roland a bit of a look, but she said nothing. Marianne, her hair stuck to her forehead, glared up at Roland, her arms filled with some boxes of supplies. “Roland, stop trying to gloat and go pretend to bake.” 

Roland snorted. “I don't need to pretend!” 

Bog came out from the hotel to take the boxes from Marianne. Bog simply glared at Roland without a word as he hefted the boxes, turning to walk back inside. He let Marianne handle Roland because he knew she would neither appreciate him interfering, nor did she really need him in a verbal spar with Roland. He might have actually felt sorry for Roland if Roland wasn't such an ass, as he was clearly outmatched by Marianne. 

“Roland...” Marianne walked up so close to Roland that the rainwater on her was dripping onto him. His little model friend squealed as water splashed on her. “Get back inside and shut up, Roland. We are going to wipe the floor with you.” She turned around and reached into the car to grab their aprons and slammed the trunk, turning to follow Bog into the hotel. She didn't spare Roland another glance. 

Soon, all the competitors were deep into the competition. Bog and Marianne were moving about their small kitchen space in such harmony that everyone was mesmerized just watching the two of them bake together. Roland was trying to work with his assistant, but she clearly had no idea what she was doing. Though she was pretty to look at, she had no skills in baking. Bog snorted at one point when something over on Roland's side started to bubble over and burn. Marianne elbowed him playfully which made Bog grin and tweak her nose with a bit of butterscotch. Roland was not only having difficulty with his assistant, but he was distracted with glaring at the interaction between Bog and Marianne. 

That was when the fire alarm went off. Roland let out a very high pitch squeal as he ran over and tried to put out the fire that started in the oven. His assistant nearly fainted when Roland opened it and fire burst out for a moment. The competition stopped for a few moments in order to get the fire under control. After everything was under control, which took about half an hour, each team presented their finished creation. There were eight of the best local bakeries represented. 

Bog and Marianne stood behind their cake, waiting their turn to be judged. They kept sneaking sideways looks at each other with goofy grins. They moved about together, handing each other utensils or an ingredient without ever really saying a word. Occasionally, their hands would lightly touch, or they would do something silly, such as bump the others hip while working side by side. At one point, the mood between them seemed downright jolly as Marianne bopped Bog on the nose, leaving a bit of frosting prompting him to give her a playful scowl. It was as if the two of them were completely unaware of the audience watching them. 

Roland had somehow managed—despite the fire and his less than competent assistant—to make something that looked presentable and maybe edible. Roland and his partner looked like they had just been through the baking catastrophe. It finally came down to three bakeries, The Dark Forest, Chevalier Gateau, and lastly a little Italian Bakery called Apollo's Treat. 

The Dark Forest won hands down with a surprise second for Chevalier Gateau. 

That night Marianne and Bog were on their way back from the competition, grinning like kids, their silly trophy strapped into the back seat. Bog said he was going to put it in the display window at the bakery. They were both a bit dirty with flour and bits of frosting and batter on their clothing, but neither one cared. “We should celebrate!” Marianne laughed. 

“I agree,” he replied with a grin. “Want to stop for a drink?” 

Marianne laughed again. “Sounds great.” 

Bog took her to a little bar around the corner from the bakery. They came in, speaking and laughing about the day's events and took seats at the bar to order drinks. 

“You did a really wonderful job,” Bog murmured as he sipped his beer. 

She grinned at him, her eyes bright. 

“Thank you, Bog. So did you.” 

She was quiet for a moment and then giggled. “I am surprise Roland got second place, especially after their kitchen caught fire.” 

Bog snorted under his breath. “The look on his face was hilarious.” 

They shared a laugh as Marianne leaned over and bumped Bog's shoulder with hers. They were sitting there talking and sipping their beers when Marianne stiffened. It was like her spider sense went off before she heard his voice behind her. “Well, well, well. Look who's here?” 

They both turned around to see Roland and his model friend standing there. It was clear that Roland had already had at least a few drinks; his cheeks were flush and there was a slight slur to his words. 

Bog snorted. “Well if it isn't second place.” 

Roland narrowed his eyes at Bog in disgust. 

Roland turned his full attention back to Marianne. 

“So, I talked to your father today before the competition. He is really worried about you, sweetheart. I mean, he heard about you working at some low class bakery.” 

Marianne slowly turned on her bar stool, her eyes narrowed dangerously. 

“What are you doing talking to my Dad?” 

Roland smirked. “He is worried about you, darling, and your father and I are still on good terms despite your ill advised outburst and poor decision making.” Marianne started to come up off her stool, but Bog placed his hand gently on her arm as he turned his full fiery blue gaze on the shorter man. “I think you should shove off Roland.” 

Roland glared at him, trying to make himself look big and intimidating, but failing, especially in his slightly tipsy state. “What if I don't! What are you going to do about it?” Bog stood up to his full height. His glare was impressive as he looked down his nose at Roland. “I may be a baker, but doesn't mean I don't know how to fight. Is that what you want, you whalluper?” 

Roland looked confused for a moment, not sure what Bog called him and he wasn't actually expecting Bog to, well, fight him. Marianne stood up with a warning glare at Bog. “I can fight my own fights, Bog.” 

Bog turned to look at her, his eyes softening for a moment. “But ye don't have to, Marianne.” She looked stunned, not expecting what he said, but then beamed at him. The woman on Roland's arm clearly had enough sense to decide this was not where she wanted to be and left Roland to his fate. 

Roland snarled. 

“Well, I didn't come alone, you overblown roach.” 

Roland turned around a bit drunkenly and yelled. “Hey come on boys! It's a GO!” 

That was when Marianne hissed. She saw Roland's three cronies that had been at Roland's beck and call since college. Marianne glanced at Bog, but Bog did not look the least bit phased. The only change in his expression was a gradual smile that spread across his face with just a hint of wicked glee in it. 

Marianne's eyes widened, but then she slowly grinned in return, turning to look at Roland and his groupies. She decided she was up for a good bar room brawl. 

Roland took the first shot, which was fine by Bog, as he simply leaned out of the way. Roland's fist just grazed his chin. Bog had been in plenty of fist fights growing up tall, gangly and a baker, a combination that made him a target growing up back in Edinburgh, Scotland and later here in the States. Bog didn't want to really hurt Roland. (Okay, that wasn't completely true, he did want to hurt him, but Roland was a celebrity of sorts.) Bog had no problem with humiliating the ass. 

He grabbed Roland's wrist and twisted his arm around, then shoved him into his trio of goons who scattered out of the way like bowling pins. Marianne was getting more and more pissed by the moment, since the four of them were focused on Bog and not taking her seriously. So as Roland was sent tumbling into his friends, she shot out her leg, tripped him, which caused him to grab out and yank her down toward him. 

The barkeep remained calm. He just pulled out his cell phone and casually called the police. Roland got to his feet with a drunken stumble with the help of his friends while hanging on to Marianne. The three reached out to grab Bog's arms tyring to hold him for Roland to slug him. Bog moved quickly, though one goon did manage to grab his arm trying to twist it behind Bog's back. Bog kicked another in the stomach, but the third goon tried to football tackle Bog around the waist. 

Bog swung at the man trying to tackle him, but his opponent ducked under Bog's swing and grabbed him around the waist. Bog stumbled backwards with the extra weight throwing him off balance, with the other goon hanging on his arm, and then the third one managed to take that opportunity to hit Bog across the face, snapping his head to the side. Roland staggered in a circle as Marianne pushed him. “Hey, Roland!!!” Marianne yelled at the top of her lungs as she grabbed her beer and poured in on Roland's head, dropping the bottle, but only hitting his shoulder as he staggered around to look at her in confused, beer dripping into his eyes. She snagged his arm and swung him around, tossing him across the bar with a whoop of joy. Roland stumbled and staggered with her throw, bumping into another patron who grabbed him and threw Roland back toward them. 

She turned to try to get the three assholes off Bog, but it was not working out as she was tiny and they were trying to avoid her, the three of them focused on taking out Bog. Marianne grabbed the third crony who hit Bog in the face and leapt onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She used all her strength to yank him backwards, letting out raptor like roar of accomplishment when she made him stumble. Bog spat blood, growling. “Ye better get off, you fuckin' dobbers!” 

He had the one around his waist and another hanging on his arm as he tried to get loose from them; with his free hand, he grabbed the one around his waist by the scruff of his shirt and pulled. He saw Marianne struggling with the third as she steered him around like she was riding a horse, letting out another yell like she was at a rodeo. She managed to grab a beer from someone as they stumbled by them and dumped it on her ride. The young man flailed, trying to dislodge Marianne and instead bumped into Bog and his friends. Marianne yelped, “Down with the French!!” thinking of Roland's bakery as she held on like a leech. 

Other patrons were either staying out of the fight or pushing back, which didn't help Marianne and her ride as they were pushed toward Bog again. Bog, with the two goons still on him, the third with Marianne on his back, all went down in a heap on the sticky floor. That was when someone decided to turn Roland around and push him in the right direction. Bog growled, cursing so hotly and his accent so thick in anger that Marianne couldn't understand a thing he said, but she was pretty sure they were things that would make her ears turn red. 

Bog shoved with all his might. He sent one of them off of him, though the other was holding onto Bog's arm like his life depended on it. He looked scared to let go. Marianne was wrestling with their buddy, tenaciously maintaining her hold on him. Then Roland staggered over, tripped on someone's foot and fell on top of Marianne and his buddy. Roland tried to get another swing in on Bog as he came falling down on top of them all, his arm going wide hitting only air as he came down in a befuddled heap. Marianne cursed, letting go of the man she had as Roland fell on her. 

“God damn it, Roland!! You are such a toad!!” Marianne yelped, pushing at him. She pushed him over and he rolled onto Bog. Bog shoved Roland off with one long leg. The third goon was trying to get away from Marianne and grabbed Roland, who rolled into him. Marianne turned her attentions to giving Roland a good punch to the face. But when one of the three grabbed at her arm to stop her, she bit him, making him yank his arm back with a yowl of pain. 

That was about the time the cops showed up. There was a lot of shouting. A drunk Roland was giving a garbled report, Bog had reverted to a very angry Scottish accent that made it hard for everyone to understand him, while Marianne was threatening to hit Roland again if he didn't stay away from her. In the next few minutes reports were taken, everyone was handcuffed and then hauled off. 

Marianne sat on a bench in her cell with her elbows on her knees. Luckily, her cell only had two other occupants, 'escorts' from the look of them. Across from her in the other cell, Bog, Roland, his three friends, a couple of drunks, four other men from a different barroom fight and two others on drug charges all shared the cell across from her. Bog was off to the side where he leaned against the bars, his arms folded over his chest. The knuckles of one hand look a bit scraped up. He stood head and shoulders over everyone in the cell and despite being gaunt, he looked down right menacing, especially with the bruise that had started to blossom across his jaw and the bit of dried blood at the corner of his mouth. 

Roland would occasionally try to say something smarty, just being a plain blowhard,but his buddies were doing their best to try to keep him calm until he sobered up so that they did not get into another fight here in the cell. They gave the other men in the cell a wary eye, especially since a couple of them looked ready to shut Roland up themselves. One of the prostitutes noticed that Bog was occasionally looking over at Marianne and elbowed her. “That your guy?” 

Marianne blushed. “Not sure yet.” 

“Well if you don't want him, let me know, I would love to have a go at him. That is a tree I would happily climb.” 

Marianne grinned, looking at Bog. He gave her a wink and the most delicious smile. That urge to lick him came back strong, which made Marianne turn bright red. 

During the hour or so before they were released was spent with Bog glaring daggers at everyone else, then shooting grins over at Marianne. The two of them kept flirting across the jail the whole time with grins, winks and periodically, Bog would give her a little wave with his fingers. 

Finally, Dawn showed up with Bog's mother in tow. Marianne and Bog were released and within a few minutes, Roland's agent sprung him and his buddies as well. As all of them were standing around signing papers, Roland stepped up behind Dawn and Marianne, putting his hands around Marianne's waist and leaned in to whisper in her ear. 

“Buttercup, come on. Let's go grab a drink at my place—we can talk, work all this out! I am willing to forgive and forget...” 

Marianne turned and shoved Roland hard enough that he stumbled backwards into another man in line. Several officers went on alert, but Marianne ignored them, getting in 

Roland's face pointing her finger in his face so close that she looked in danger of poking his eye out.

“Roland, just stop it. I know exactly what you want! You want my name and what my father can do for your reputation. You don't want me! You never wanted me! You never wanted me to be who I am! You only ever wanted me to be that pretty thing on your arm that helped open doors for you! Well IT IS NOT HAPPENING! I am on to you! And besides, Bog is three times the man you will ever be and he knows exactly how to kiss a woman!!” 

With that, Marianne grabbed Bog from in front of where he had been in the process of signing papers to get his belongings back. He had stopped to turn around when Marianne started yelling. She grabbed him, dipped him (quite a feat considering his height) and laid a kiss on him that at first caused silence throughout the station, but then slowly turned into a round of applause from officers and others witnessing the kiss. 

She put him back up on his feet and Bog had to grab the counter to keep himself from wobbling too badly as he looked flustered and in shock. He had a goofy grin on his bright red face. The police officer at the counter put the pen back in his hand for him so he could finish signing. Griselda was snickering, her hand covering her mouth as she watched the goings on with a twinkle in her eyes. 

Dawn yelped in surprise. “Oh! Oh...? Ooooohhh!”


	6. A Sticky Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A talk about changing their relationship takes a turn toward the sticky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little "9 1/2 Weeks" inspiration

The next few weeks were back to business as usual except that Bog and Marianne had taken to staying over in the evenings to discuss the next day's specials. They had neither moved beyond simple kisses nor had they gone out on an actual date. 

Marianne was frustrated. 

She didn't know what this was between her and Bog and the fact that they had done nothing beyond stealing kisses at work—or when he picked her up in the morning or dropped her off at night. She could feel that he was holding back, but she wasn't sure why. Tonight they were staying late just the two them to work on something that Bog had not worked on in years—a wedding cake. Marianne had gathered it was a shock when Bog agreed to do it after he found out about the order. Everyone had been walking on eggshells when the order came in, trying to make sure Bog didn't find out about it, but he did and had simply stated that he was going to make it, causing a dead silence to fall on the bakery. 

That afternoon Marianne, wiping flour on her apron as she caught up to Thang, pulled him aside. “Okay, why is Bog making a wedding cake such a big deal?” Thang looked around, making her feel like they must be in a spy movie before he leaned close to her and whispered, “Bog hates love. After “she” broke up with him!” Marianne frowned. “She?” 

Thang sighed. “Her name was Lisa and she was one of our cake decorators. Bog fell head over heels in love with her. They went out, things looked like they were getting really serious and then suddenly she dumped him. I mean she didn't just dump him, she humiliated him. It was pretty bad. He went into a really dark place for a while. After that, Bog hated anything to do with love. Wedding cakes, Valentine's, anything to do with love was given to other bakers. Bog would not touch it, so the fact that he is willing to work on a wedding cake with you is major!” 

Marianne frowned in thought. “Thanks for telling me, Thang.” Thang shrugged. “No problem, but please don't let him know I told you!” Marianne gave him a thumbs up as she walked away. She could understand how Bog felt. After her experience with Roland, she had sworn off dating and men, but Bog was different, a lot different. She wasn't sure how to let him know that she wasn't afraid to pursue this beyond simple kisses. 

That night they were sitting close together, discussing the clients' cake and making sketches discussing the flavors they had picked. Marianne looked sideways at Bog. There were bowls of chocolate frosting that they were working with and a few other ingredients still out; strawberries, cheese filling from some tarts. Marianne hopped up onto the counter next to Bog and swung her legs. Bog glanced at her from where he was bent over the order and writing a list of some special ingrediants. “Marianne, what are you doing?” 

She smiled. “Bog, how do you feel about me?” 

Bog sat up straight. “What?” 

Marianne dipped her finger into the chocolate. They were experimenting with a jalapeño fudge frosting recipe. She stuck her finger into her mouth, looking at him and waiting for him to answer. For a second, Bog stared at her finger in her mouth and then back up to her eyes. 

“I...well I thought it was clear...you know...” 

He stuttered a bit, distracted by her sucking on her finger. 

She laughed. 

“Bog. Things were bad with Roland. But...well, I like you. I like the way you kiss, I like how committed you are to your bakery. I love the way you are with the kids that come in! And I love the way you sing when you think no one is watching and how you argue and gripe with your mom, but you still get along. I want to see what happens. I want you to let us see what happens.” 

Bog stared at her and then muttered softly, “It's not that easy Marianne.” 

He looked down at the papers on the counter. Marianne reached over, placing her hand over his. 

“I know Bog. I know its not easy but Bog...could we try?” The tension in the kitchen was heavy and Marianne worried that she had pushed him too hard. She started to shove herself off the counter, but Bog laid his hand on her knee stopping her. She looked at him and he stared back at her, then murmured, “How's the frosting?” Marianne blinked in surprise then at the sudden shift in conversation, but she smiled. She dipped her finger into the liquid chocolate and reached over to slowly trace his lips with the tip of her chocolate covered finger.

Bog didn't move. He let her trace his mouth, the movements of her finger slow and sensual against his lips as she traced them. She pressed her lips together as she followed the movement of her finger over his mouth. He slipped his tongue out, just the tip of his tongue, and ran it along his bottom lip, licking up the chocolate. Marianne reached forward as if she had no control over her own movements and grabbed his neck pulling him close to kiss him. Their lips smeared together as they kissed. Chocolate and heat as their lips and tongues met. She could taste the heat of the chocolate, but his lips also seared against her mouth. Their teeth clicked together with the force of their kissing. 

Bog shoved the papers aside, moving her over and pressing himself between her knees as his hands went to her waist. 

She groaned softly tasting the spiciness of the chocolate on his lips and his tongue. They pulled apart long enough for Bog to reach over and dip his finger in the chocolate and slide it over her chin and lips, her mouth slightly open. Bog ran his finger against her tongue, watching closely as she sucked the chocolete from his finger. His smile was lopsided as he reached over and pulled the bowl of cream cheese filling closer, scooping a bit up with his finger then surprising her by sliding it down the front of her neck. It slowly dripped down moving down her neck and disappearing between her breasts. His mouth followed, licking the creamy filling off her neck. Marianne shuddered in delight. He smiled, reaching over to grab a strawberry, dipping it into the chocolate and then slowly hovering it over her mouth. Marianne grinned at him as she opened her mouth. The chocolate dripped onto her lips and chin, it ran down her neck in a slow, thick trail to move down between her breasts, following the trail of filling. She opened her mouth and he brushed her tongue with the tip of the strawberry before she took a bite of it. She grinned, grabbing a strawberry herself to dip and tease Bog, gliding the liquid chocolate over his lips and down his chin. She traced a line in chocolate down his neck to just the top of his shirt's first button before she brought the strawberry back up and he took a bite. 

He pulled her close as he ran his lips over her mouth, both of them tasting of chocolate and strawberry. Bog lifted her up, making her gasp and laugh as she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms locked around his neck, letting him lift her up off the counter. He carried her to the smaller of the refrigerators, pulled open the door and set her in front of it. 

Marianne laughed and shivered at the sudden cold. They both turned to reach in to grab something. 

Marianne found some whipped cream, and dipped her whole hand in and threw it at his face. 

Bog laughed and grabbed her, pressing her against the open fridge, kissing her and rubbing his face on hers. He smeared chocolate and cream on her face from his own, as she reached up fiddling with the buttons of his shirt. She pulled his shirt open smearing whipped cream down his chest and then followed the creamy mess with her tongue, finally getting to lick her boss like she had been imagining. 

Bog grabbed the raspberry filling, stuck his hand under her t-shirt, smearing chilly streaks of filling across her belly. She squealed at the cool, sticky jam against her skin, but then he ran his tongue slowly along her stomach, making her shiver and causing goosebumps to raise on her skin. She yanked her t-shirt off, throwing it down, leaving her torso bare but for her sports bra. 

Bog stopped for a moment to stare at her, his eyes traveling from her sticky stomach over her breasts and he visibly swallowed. But then she reached into the fridge, grabbed the vanilla pudding, stuck her finger in it and held it over his mouth with a wicked grin of her own. 

Bog smirked, shrugging off his shirt completely and opened his mouth, which suddenly became the sexiest thing Marianne had ever seen. His tongue out just a bit, his slightly crooked teeth, the way his eyes looked at her. Damn, if it wasn't the hottest thing she had ever seen. She watched the pudding drip off her finger and into his mouth slowly. Okay she thought, that was way more seductive that pudding had a right to be. She moved her gooy covered finger down his chin and along his neck before she decided that the licking urge was perfectly justified now and she quickly followed the pudding with her mouth. Bog moaned ever so softly, but she heard it. She leaned in closer as she licked the pudding, following the trail down his chest, her sticky hands moved across his stomach where she felt his muscles tense. 

Bog slid his sticky hand around her neck leaning over her and kissed her hard. Their kiss smeared chocolate and cream across their faces. He pressed her down to the floor their chests pressed together sticking and sliding as heat built between them. He settled between her legs and suddenly her leggings seem very thin. The sensation of wetness and stickiness between them was more erotic than it had a right to be. His mouth moved from her lips to her throat. She gasped at the feel of his teeth biting gently and sucking at the sweetness of her neck. She moved her hips, grinding against him, feeling that he was very much attracted to her as his hips responded to hers. She wanted to know if there could be more between them and this was a very loud answer. 

His mouth moved to lick her shoulder and then back to her mouth while Marianne's hands slid down his back. She glided her tongue down to his shoulder and then bit him gently. He ground his hips against hers harder, making her gasp as he managed to hit just right. She wrapped a leg around the back of one of his, her sticky hands exploring his back and shoulders as they kissed. Their hips ground slowly, but persistently against one another, sending bursts of heat through them both. 

That was when the bowl of chocolate they had left on the counter, too close to the edge, suddenly took that moment to hit the kitchen floor with a loud crash of aluminum and sent the spoon skittering across the floor. The sudden sound startled them both out of their lust-filled haze. The jolt of the bowl suddenly cleared both their heads enough for the thought that things were getting too intense to push itself to the front of their minds. He lifted up on his long arms to look down at her. They stared at one another and then started to laugh to break the intense sexual heat between them. Their faces were covered in smears of chocolate and cream and they were both a sticky, gooey mess. 

Bog murmured, his breath hot as he licked her jaw and chin, “We are going to stick to the floor. Maybe we should clean up.” 

Marianne couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. “You're probably right.” He kissed her one more time before helping her to sit up. They both retrieved their shirts and then set about cleaning up their mess. When they were done, they realized how late it was. Bog turned to take her hand, kissing her knuckles. “I am sorry I've been stand offish. I...I don't want to be...” Marianne reached up with her free hand and stroked her fingers down his stubble, still slightly sticky jaw. “I understand. I really do. I don't want to force you to do anything that would make you uncomfortable.” 

Bog chuckled lightly. “You don't make me uncomfortable exactly...just...every time I look at you, my feelings are intense, in turmoil and I don't understand why you would even...look at me, let alone kiss me? It's confusing Marianne. I've been hurt before and I don't want to be hurt again.” 

It was her turn to laugh as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Bog. I like you...I more than like you—there is not a word to describe my feelings. I would never hurt you. I understand not wanting to be hurt again. Just trust me okay?” 

Bog hugged her in return. “I do trust you, Marianne.” They held each other for a long moment, just enjoying the embrace until Bog finally murmured. “Let me drive you home.” She nodded and started to slip her arms away when Bog stopped her with a soft touch. “And uh...Marianne...would you like to have dinner with me Sunday?” 

Marianne's smile was brilliant as she said, “Oh, yes Bog. Very much.”


	7. Cakes and Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this chapter because things might get bad in the next one!

It was Sunday and Marianne was pacing her apartment as she waited for Bog to pick her up for dinner. She was rather nervous, which was funny. She kept having fits of nervous giggles. This was her first date in a long time and her first date after already making out with said guy twice! She stopped to look in the mirror again, running her hands down her deep purple dress and to check her hair. She then went over to the fridge, opening the door to look at the cake she had made. She had made it special, chocolate vanilla tuxedo cake with raspberry white chocoloate, just for him. Her idea was to invite him in after dinner for coffee and dessert, but she didn't want to seem too forward but...Oh, hell! 

That was when the doorbell rang. Marianne took a couple of quick, deep breaths to steady her nerves. For a moment they were too deep and she thought she would pass out, but then she was opening the door. Bog stood there holding a bundle of dark blue flowers. He smiled at her, a blush across his cheeks as he handed the flowers to her, almost shoving them at her.

Marianne took them, giggling quietly. “Ah, come in and I will put these in water before we go.” 

Bog stepped in. He looked nice. She was accustomed to seeing him in shirt and jeans, an apron with flour and such on him, but right now he was clean, wearing slacks and a dark blue dress shirt that made his eyes bright. His hair was combed back, though a few strands still stuck out here and there. She tried not to stare as she put the flowers in water and grabbed her jacket. Bog helped her slip it on over the dark purple dress wore, his hands gentle. He took her hand, surprising her with how he laced his fingers with hers. It was a sweet, intimate gesture that went straight to her heart. 

He smiled at her. “Ready?” She nodded. “Let's go.” 

Bog took her to a little family owned Italian restaurant. It was cozy and intimate. Apparently Bog had come here before, because some of the work staff called out greetings to him as he came in. They were taken to a little table in the back away from most of the room. There were candles and wine, the setting was a cross between a home cooked dinner and a romantic evening. 

Marianne took a sip of her wine. “Can I ask you about becoming a baker?” 

Bog glanced over at her, the candlelight catching his eyes, making them look moonrise blue. “What about it?” 

She moved her fork in her food, looking down at her plate. “I don't know. At first glance, you don't exactly look like a baker.” 

Bog laughed as he took a sip of wine. “Didn't know a baker had a certain look. My father started that bakery. Baking was actually all I ever knew growing up.” 

She laughed. “I meant because you're so skinny, but I understand. Baking was all I knew too because of my mom.” 

“May I ask what happened?” Bog reached across the table and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers again. 

Marianne appreciated the gesture, squeezing his fingers.“It was cancer. It happened pretty fast. One moment we found out she was sick, the next she was gone.” 

Bog rubbed his thumb across her knuckles gently. “I understand. My Da passed from a heart attack. Never had a clue anything was wrong until the day he died.” 

They were both quiet for a bit until Bog smiled. “What I usually do when I get melancholy is go bake something.” 

Marianne laughed. “Me too!” 

Bog played with her fingers for a moment without saying a word, then looked up at her shyly. “Want to?” 

“Go bake?” She giggled. “Sure?” 

Bog chuckled with a waggle of his eyebrows. “My place or yours?” 

For a moment she thought about the cake in her fridge, but she grinned. “Yours.” 

Bog paid the bill and they drove to Bog's house. 

Bog unlocked the door, opening it for her. She stepped in surprised by the small house. It was neat and simple, decorated in dark browns, and deep greens; there was a warm coziness about the place. She immediately thought of a sanctuary from the world outside. He helped her remove her coat, slipping off his own, tossing them both onto the couch as he led her into the kitchen. 

The kitchen was beautiful. Marianne stood there staring as he flipped on the lights. His kitchen was everything a baker would want in their own home. Dark marble counter tops, beautiful appliances, state of the art mixer—you name it, Bog had it. 

“Oh, Bog!” her voice was soft with admiration and desire. 

Bog blushed and chuckled. “So what do we want for dessert?” 

Soon they were going through his kitchen pulling out ingrediants and utensils. Bog had a couple of aprons, one of which he tossed to her. She laughed, catching it out of the air. They started working together just as easily as at the competition or in the bakery. They seemed to be able to read each other's thoughts knowing exactly what the other was doing. They decided to make some Guinness chocolate cupcakes. Bog pulled the Guinness out of the fridge, placing the cans on the counter. And so they started drinking and baking. Marianne put some music on Bog's stereo, pleasantly surprised that he had some Queen. They were singing, drinking and baking. 

At one point, Marianne flipped some creamy chocolate at Bog, a glob hitting him in the chest. Bog looked down at it and then gave her a wicked grin, dipping his spoon in the chocolate buttercream frosting he was working on, then threw a large blob of it at her. It hit her in the forehead. Marianne squealed, “BOG!!” as she wiped the chocolate away. Bog's eyes widened, the blue looking gorgeous in his fake innocent face. Marianne narrowed her eyes at him and threw the chocolate back, her aim true. Their baking turned into a playful food fight. 

Eventually they got something in the oven, both of them a little drunk as they sat on the floor of his kitchen, sharing the last can of Guinness. The warm smell of baking chocolate filled the house. She leaned against Bog's shoulder as he passed her the drink. They were both covered in chocolate and flour. She stretched her legs out, pointing her toes, her shoes off and over by the door. Bog moved his arm putting it around her shoulders, the gesture tender. 

“Baking always makes me think of home, happiness, family,” Bog murmured. “I always wanted what my parents had together. They were so in love. After I fell in love, I thought I was going to have all that too. A happy marriage, children to carry on the bakery. When it all fell apart, I gave up on all that.” He was speaking softly as if in one way he was speaking only to himself. 

“What happened exactly?” She snuggled in close to him laying a hand on his stomach. He shrugged “Just...I don't know. She found someone else. Never really loved me or I loved too hard, too much.” She reached up, touching his face with her fingertips moving his jaw lightly to make him look at her. “You did nothing wrong, Bog.” He pressed his lips together, the pain still there. Marianne moved onto her knees and kissed him then. It is a soft kiss at first. When her tongue brushed against his mouth he opened to her. They tasted chocolate on each other's tongues. Her tongue brushed his, twisting wetly her breath a moan mixed with his slow exhale. He sucked on her tongue, then his teeth caught her bottom lip for just a moment. 

He reached up to lay his hands against her neck, a soft, gentle touch, cupping the side of her throat. She pulled back just a little, laying her forehead against his. “I always wanted someone who loved me for myself,” she whispered. Her eyes were still closed, but she opened them slowly, her cinnamon brown eyes found his summer blue ones looking at her. “I think I am falling in love with you, Bog.” 

He stared at her, pain and vulnerability in his gaze as he whispered back. “I am falling in love with you, Marianne.” He moved his long fingers into her hair as his tongue licked her mouth. She moaned softly, leaning in further. Bog shifted, his whole being gravitated toward her as his tongue twisted with hers. His other hand moved to her waist and glided up her side, his tongue exploring her mouth, caressing her tongue and teeth. She twisted to sit on his lap so they could kiss easier. He wrapped his arm around her legs, the other holding her back. Marianne wrapped her arms snuggly around his neck and shoulders, kissing him like she needed him to breathe. She could feel the stubble of his face rough against her cheeks and chin, but she didn't care. She welcomed being this close to Bog. 

All she cared about was that she wanted him. His agile fingers moved up her thighs and glided up her side under her dress. She had not worn nylons or leggings under the dress, so his fingers moved over bare skin, sending trails of heat through her body. She didn't stop him, she didn't want to, as his fingers played with the thin strap of her panties. He didn't pull, only let his fingers glide under the strap, but moved no further from her hip. Her fingers fumbled to unbutton his shirt, sliding her fingers down his chest and through his chest hair. His low groan was enough to make her whole body weak for him. 

That was when the oven buzzed. They continued kissing for a few moments more until Bog pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers. He grinned. “I should probably pull those out before they burn.” 

Marianne lightly chewed her bottom lip. “Yeah. I suppose.” 

He stood, gathering her in his arms as he did so before setting her on her feet with a swift kiss. Within moments the warm smell of chocolate cupcakes filled the kitchen. The two of them leaned on their elbows against the counter, each tearing apart a cupcake and feeding the other with chuckles and grins. Bog yanked her close kissing her as he turned to press her against the counter. He tasted like Guinness, chocolate and him. She smiled happily against his mouth. Bog pulled back to rub his nose against hers, then his thumb against her lips. “I should probably drive you home.” 

Marianne sighed. “Yeah.” 

Bog smiled at her. “Would you like to come here for dinner tomorrow night? I'll cook.” 

“Definitely. I'll bring dessert.” 

That night as she showered and got into bed, she could not help but think maybe everything was turning around, not just her professional life, but now, maybe her personal as well.


	8. Burning Hearts and Burning Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you do not want to read the erotic part, just head down and there is a mark to start the other section of this chapter.

It had been a week since their first date. They had spent nearly every waking hour together since then. Their make out sessions were becoming more and more heated and Marianne wasn't sure she could take it much longer. Especially when they were at work and he would give her slidelong gazes as he stood there holding a large mixing bowl, whisking away at something or other, that just made her core burn. And god, if he licked his lips? The man was killing her and not everything he was doing was on purpose either. She grumbled to herself as she rolled out some dough, thinking seriously about throwing the pastry at him to make him stop looking so unintentionally sexy. 

They would sneak around the bakery stealing hot, wet kisses, pressed up against fridge doors, counters, bread rakes, anywhere they could grab a few seconds. Marianne was sure that if Bog didn't take her home one night or she didn't drag him to her apartment soon, that she was going to burst into flames with want and need. She giggled at the thought of covering him in chocolate and eating him up. 

One night, after everyone had left, Bog had her up against the wall near the now cooled ovens, their bodies pressed so close together she could feel how badly he wanted her. His teeth were moving down her neck, his hands squeezing her hips. She ran her hands around his waist and up his back, then down again under his jeans. Bog gently bit her earlobe making her moan softly. “Bog, come home with me.” 

Bog stiffened a bit and she swallowed. “Sorry...I didn't...” 

He pulled back to look down at her, laying his forehead gently against hers. “Are you sure?” She looked into his eyes, they were so blue, so clear and his emotions raw and honest. Right at that moment she knew that she would always love him. No matter what the future held she truly, deeply, loved him. 

“I'm very sure.” 

They gathered their things and headed out to Bog's car. When they got to her apartment, Marianne struggled with the key, but she finally got the door open, both of them going in quickly. She kicked her door shut, dropping her bag onto the floor. Bog lifted her up as he pulled her to him and carried her to her bedroom, the two of them kissing, almost breathing for one another. He managed to find his way to her bedroom in the small apartment. Bog hit the bed with his knees and they fell forward, Marianne laughing and squealing. Bog laughed too, but then they were kissing hard, practically sucking at each others mouths. She pulled his shirt up from his back, trying to get it off of him. He moved to sit up and pulled it over his head throwing his shirt to the side. He moved his hands under her shirt, flat against her stomach feeling the silky softness of her skin under his hands. 

She arched her back as his hands glided up and over her bra. The warmth of his touch made her moan as she felt the heat of his hands through her bra. He helped her pull her shirt over her head, throwing it away, then he was back on top of her kissing her neck, his tongue licked her skin. She ran her hands through his hair mussing it, sliding down his neck then back up into his hair. He ground his hips against hers, reaching down to grasp her waist. He pressed her into the mattress, his voice low and deep thickening his accent as he murmured against her skin, “I love you.” 

She arched her neck as his lips moved along her throat. She closed her eyes moaning softly, “Oh, Bog, I love you.” She ran her hands along the curve of his back, feeling the way his muscles moved and flexed as he undulated against her. She passed her hands over his sides then wiggled them between their bodies so she could get to the buttons of his jeans. 

Bog lifted higher up so that she could get to the buttons. He watched her as she unbuttoned his jeans and pulled the sides open. Once she got them undone, she grabbed the sides of his jeans and pushed them down, hooking his underpants as well, lowering them all down at the same time. Bog gasped and groaned. He slid down her body, fumbling with the zipper of her jeans until he finally got it with her help. They were blissfully both naked. The last part was for Bog to unhook her bra and send it through the air to join the rest of their their clothing on the floor. Bog took in a harsh breath, staring at her; god, she was beautiful and she wanted him. She bit her bottom lip looking up at him completely exposed to his gaze. All he could think was how amazing she was, soft yet strong, small firm breasts, silky skin and those eyes of hers. She was fire and grace. She looked him up and down admiring every inch of him. The hair on his chest, the way the hair tappered down to his groin, his narrow hips, the wiry muscles of his arms and the length and thickness of his erection. 

She reached up, her fingertips ran over his flat stomach enjoying the way his muscles twitched, his skin goosebumping at her touch. She reached up, grabbing his upper arms and pulled him down to her. They kissed, their mouths opened wide to let their tongues explore. They rubbed their bodies against each other. He was between her legs, feeling how wet she was while she shivered with pleasure—not just the way he was rubbing up against her, but how hard he was for her. Marianne ran her hands along his rear, feeling the muscles of his buttocks under her hands. 

One of his large, long-fingered hands found a breast, his thumb teasing her, rotating and gently rubbing, making her body arch and ache. God, I need him so badly, she thought. When his tongue replaced his thumb she thought she might orgasm right then. His teeth grazed her nipple making her body jerk. They didn't spend a great deal of time on foreplay, the last several weeks having all been about foreplay. Bog got up to grab his pants off the floor, finding his wallet and the condom inside. He sat on his knees about to put it on, but Marianne took it from him, wanting to do it herself. Bog watched her for a moment, but then he furrowed his brow, his eyes shutting as he panted softly and deeply, feeling her touch him. She rolled the condom up watching his reaction which made her smile, this strong, grumpy man turned to putty at her touch. Before he could open his eyes she had yanked him down on top of her. His eyes flew open and they both chuckled, gazing lovingly into each others eyes. This was the moment when they finally were able to communicate everything to each other without words. 

He entered her slowly, which was almost too much for either of them, but then they were rocking together, making love, their bodies as one. She moved her hands down over his rear pulling him close, spreading her legs wide as she gasped, feeling him pressed deeply into her. He dropped down to his elbows on either side of her head kissing her slowly, but deeply as they moved together. 

**** 

It was early morning, the sun just starting to peek into Marianne's apartment window when Bog's cell phone went off. He was lying on his back, one hand resting on his chest with Marianne curled against him. They were both still very naked. She had her head on his shoulder, sleeping softly with one of her hands resting on his stomach. He smiled sleepily when he heard the phone go off again. He snarled quietly, not wanting to wake her, but his phone was in his jeans over on the other side of the room. He slowly moved out from under her, pulling back the blankets to put his feet on the floor. She woke, her eyes squinted, but with a soft smile on her lips. “What's going on, Bog?” 

He mumbled as he got up. “My phone, hold on.” She rolled onto her stomach and sat up on her elbows as she watched him get up, a grin on her face. He moved around her room in the dim early morning light, naked, trying to find his pants and phone. Marianne decided she liked watching him walk around naked. Finally, he found his jeans. He pulled out his phone, frowning as he answered. “Hey, Mamm. What's wrong?” 

His voice became low and serious “What? No. No don't call her, she is here with me. Yeah.” He hung up turning to see that Marianne was sitting up looking worried. 

“What's going on?” 

“The bakery is on fire.” 

When they got there, the fire trucks were still spraying the building. The fire was still going fairly strong, but it was clear everything was destroyed. Bog stood there after he got out of her car and just stared. He looked blank, numb, in shock. Marianne came around to stand beside him taking his hand in hers. He held her hand tightly despite seeming to not be reacting.

As they stood there watching the building burn to the ground, Marianne heard sobbing. She looked around and off to the side sitting in a silver PT Cruiser, the door on the driver's side open, sat Griselda. She had her elbows on her knees her face covered with her hands and she was crying, sobbing. Marianne tugged at Bog's hand, finally getting his attention and pointed to his mother. He took in a sharp breath and without letting go of Marianne, they hurried over there. It wasn't until he dropped to his knees in front of his mother, wrapping her in his long arms that he let go of Marianne's hand. “Mamm, I am so sorry.” 

“Oh, Bog this isn't your fault.” She wrapped her arms around Bog sobbing, “Everything your father built is gone. All of it.” 

Griselda looked up and saw Marianne. She put a hand out to her and Marianne got on her knees in front of Griselda so she could try to hug them both at the same time. After a moment, Griselda sat back putting her hands out to touch their cheeks. 

After another hour or so, the blaze was finally out and one of the firemen came over to speak with them. He was covered in soot and looked exhausted. Bog kept a hand on his mother's shoulder as he stood up. “Sorry, but it looks like everything was destroyed. I'm assuming you have insurance, but I wanted to let you know that there will be an investigation.” 

Bog frowned. “Investigation?” 

The fire fighter nodded. “I can't really say much, but...we think someone might have done this deliberately.”


	9. Creating New Desserts

Bog and Marianne were at his house baking; their ability to work in harmony made it an easy and graceful dance through his kitchen. They were making some mini cheesecakes with wine gelées. They had two glasses of wine on the counter along with a couple of different bottles. Marianne was making the crusts, grinding the graham crackers they had made themselves, watching the butter she was melting at the same time. She was standing next to Bog who was beating the eggs. He was humming softly, the song a little sad. 

He would occasionally glance sideways at her, a small but sincere smile creasing his face. It had been a month since the fire. Bog was creating orders from his own kitchen for a few patrons that had been with the bakery since his father ran it, keeping his head above water while the investigation continued and he looked for a new place. Marianne had gotten a job at Apollo's Treat until Bog found a new place for the Dark Forest Bakery, but he hadn't made much of progress.

Something was stopping him, whether it was the investigation or something else, she didn't know. He hadn't said much about it, but she knew something was eating at him. She just needed him to confide in her. Though they were sleeping together and practically living together, he still did not always tell her when things were upsetting him. She suspected it had more to do with him not wanting to worry her or burden her than not wanting to talk. She realized also, that he wasn't accustomed to sharing his concerns. She would just have to convince him. 

Today Marianne was off work. She had come over to help him with these cheesecake orders. She had practically moved in, though they had made nothing official. She still had her apartment and they both had keys to each other's places, but Bog had never formally asked her to move in. She got the impression that he was scared. But she never pushed him. She knew if he asked, she would drop everything to move in with him. 

She glanced sideways at him as he was mixing, listening to his deep humming. She was patting out some graham cracker crust when she bumped him with her hip. 

He glanced over at her, startled. “What?” 

She smiled one of those soft secret smiles reserved only for Bog. 

“Did you look at any new locations today?” 

Bog was quiet as he stirred. 

“Bog?” 

She stopped what she was doing, putting a hand on his arm and turning him to look at her. 

“What is going on?” 

He sighed, setting the bowl down on the counter with a thunk that startled her. “Roland.” 

“Roland? What has he to do with anything?” 

She put her hand on her hip leaning against the counter. 

He frowned rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, clearly agitated. 

“Seems Roland has been spreading rumors that I set the fire. Now no one wants to rent a space to me. Think I might be a danger, I guess. I don't know, just he has pull I don't have. I am not sure what else has been said, but no one wants to rent or sell to me.” 

Marianne's mouth dropped open, 

“What? I am going to call him!” 

Bog reached out, laying a hand on hers. “No, don't—please. You don't need to do that. Besides, that is probably what he wants.” 

Marianne slipped her fingers between his as she gazed up at him. 

“I could call my father? I know he would give us a loan.” 

She smiled, but Bog was still frowning. 

“He would give you a loan Marianne, not me.” 

She moved closer, taking his other hand and slowly pulling his arms around her waist. She moved her arms around his slim form, holding him. 

“So, I could use it to buy a new location.” 

She leaned up to kiss him, brushing her lips against his. He kissed her softly, pulling her against him and held her. 

He snuggled her close, laying his chin gently on the top of her head. She smiled closing her eyes as she leaned against his chest. 

“You don't need to help me,” he said softly. 

Marianne squeezed him. “Bog, I want to. Besides, I want to work with you—not at Apollo's Treat.” 

She decided not to tell him about the call she received from Roland's restaurant trying to hire her. Roland had called her once, but she had cursed at him (very colorfully) thanks to a lot of new words she had learned working with and loving Bog. She didn't want to upset Bog, so she kept it to herself. There was no reason he needed to know about Roland trying to hire her. 

She kissed his chest stepping back. 

“Besides, I don't have to tell my Dad what the money is for...” 

She grinned slowly. Bog sighed, slightly exasperated. She leaned her chin on his chest gazing up at him. 

“How about this, we could be business partners? Draw up a contract and everything.” 

Bog leaned back to look down at her. “Business partners?” 

She nodded. “Yeah. I put up the money up for the new location, but in our contract you help me pay my father back, we share the place, it becomes OUR bakery.” 

Bog's blue eyes sparkled. There was something deep there, she could clearly see his feelings for her. “Like a marriage?” 

Marianne blushed brightly. “Sort of, yes.” 

He didn't let go of her as he walked her around to press her against the counter. 

“Hmm...you don't think being in business together would ruin...this? What we have?” he inquired as he leaned in to brush his lips against hers. 

She held onto him as she looked up, a soft smile on her face at the feel of his lips. 

“No. I don't think so, do you?” 

Bog kissed her forehead. “I love you and no, I don't.” 

Marianne smiled. “I love you too, Bog.” 

Marianne decided that instead of calling, she would just show up to ask for the loan. Bog didn't want her to lie to her father, to lie about what it was for and so he wanted to come with her. Alright, not really, he did not want to cause her any problems with her family, but he wanted to be there for her, support her. Additionally, she was doing this for him and he would not let her face her father alone. If they were going to do this together, then they would ask together. He drove her, with his hand resting on her thigh during the drive. She could feel how nervous he was; it translated from his nervous fingers down through her leg. The knuckles of his other hand on the steering wheel were white as he held onto the wheel after he pulled the car in front of her house. 

“He isn't going to like me.” 

Bog said it as a statement without looking at her, just staring out the windshield. She laid her hand on top of the one he had placed on her thigh. 

“Bog, it doesn't matter. I love you—that is what matters.” 

Bog looked over at her, his blue eyes pained. 

“I don't want you to get hurt Marianne, especially not because of me. I'm not worth it.” 

She leaned in, her fingertips touched his chin, turning him to look at her. She kissed him softly, passionately, her tongue touching his lips. He let out a soft moan. 

“Marianne...” 

Her brown eyes met his blue ones.“You are worth everything to me, Bog. All my father can do is say no, but that is only money. As long as I have you, we will find a way. 

Come on. “ 

She hopped out of the car while Bog stepped out more slowly. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. She came around and took his hands in hers. She rubbed the back of his hands with her thumbs. 

“I love you, Bog.” 

He gave a soft smile. “I love you too, my tough girl.”


	10. Home and Cookies

They were sitting at the dining room table of her family home. Marianne had never been so uncomfortable. Bog felt and knew he probably looked awkward, though Marianne kept giving him reassuring smiles. 

Marianne's father, Dagda Summerfield, sat at the head of the table eating his soup without looking at Bog. The older, well-dressed man was doing his very best to completely ignore the tall man. 

Marianne sat across the table from Bog (a deliberate move on her father's part) stirring her spoon in a slow circle without taking a bite. Bog had yet to touch his as well, the soup having developed a congealed layer on the top. Marianne's little sister, Dawn, sat next to her looking between everyone. Her blue eyes were round making her look a little like a frightened deer ready to bolt. The air in the dining room sat like a heavy pressure between everyone. 

Finally Dagda spoke. “So you are the man my daughter has been living in sin with?” 

Marianne gasped, nearly coming out of her seat. “DAD!! Oh my God, this isn't the 1950's!” 

Dawn covered her mouth in shock, but Bog, who had moved his hands to his knees, dug his fingers into his thighs to prevent himself from snapping back and remained calm with an effort—and for 

Marianne's sake. He looked up at Marianne's father, taking a deep breath before he spoke. 

“First ,sir, we are not living together just yet. We each still have our own places.” Bog's eyes moved to Marianne across the table from him. “Though if Marianne wanted to move in with me, I would be the happiest man alive.” 

Marianne's face brightened and she was about to say something, but Bog brought up one of his hands to stop her. “Secondly, sir, that is an outdated concept. WE are not living in sin. WE are two adults who can do as we please.” 

Dagda's face turned several shades of red, but he had the good sense to keep his mouth closed—at least for now. “I love yer daughter,” Bog explained. “She wanted to talk to you about a loan to help reopen the bakery, but I will not sit here and listen to you try to make her feel small and stupid, even if—no, bugger that—especially because you are her father. She is a wonderful, talented woman who I am proud to not only have working with me, but who feels I am worthy of spending time with. I love her.” Bog glanced at Marianne again, his cheeks burning, but his eyes remained determined. “I love her, but no one will hurt her. Not while I'm here.” He turned to look at Dagda again. “I don't need your help.” 

He stood up. “I'm sorry Marianne.” 

With that Bog walked out. Marianne stood up as well. “Dad. I love him. And I am going to stand by Bog.” Marianne swiftly followed. 

Dagda's face turned redder than it had a minute earlier. Dawn looked up at her father and dared to murmur, “I think you messed up, Dad.” 

* 

Marianne found Bog, his hands on the side of the car, hanging his head down between them as he leaned, taking several deep breaths. She walked up to him and laid a hand on his back. “I'm sorry, Marianne,” he mumbled, his accent thicker. “I just...lost my temper.” 

“It's alright.” She grinned. “I love the fact that you defended me to my father!” She giggled and Bog finally stood up straight to gather her into his arms. He rubbed his thumb along her chin. “I love you and I won't let anyone hurt you...ever.” He pressed his lips softly against hers. 

“Did you mean it about me moving in?” Marianne asked when their lips parted. 

Bog grinned. “Aye—I did. I do.” 

The perky little woman leaned her head to the side with an eyebrow cocked. “Then when should I give up my place?” Marianne grinned. 

* 

They drove back to Bog's place, both of them tired. They decided since dinner had been cut short to order a pizza. They ate and watched a movie, putting off discussing the next step in trying to reopen the bakery until tomorrow. After dinner, Bog took Marianne into the bathroom and started a shower. He turned her around to face him, kissing her lips gently as his large, elegant hands worked to undo her pants, sliding them down her thighs, his lips leaving a trail down her body and over her hips. He kissed each knee before coming back to drag her panties down her legs. 

He place a kiss at the mound of her sex, dropping to his knees to worship at her, his tongue sliding between her folds in a slow sensual slide. Marianne moaned leaning back against the bathroom counter while Bog lifted one of her legs, placing it over his shoulder.

The feel of his bristly cheeks against her thighs was sensual and erotic. His tongue was slow in its exploration, alternating between flicks and long leisurely licks that had her grasping for balance. When she came, Marianne let out a deep groan, her knuckles turning white while she gripped the bathroom counter and rocked her hips back and forth gently, pushing against her lover's face. Bog buried his face between her legs, sucking deeply to extend her orgasm. 

He finally stood up, his face damp, a wicked grin on his lip. “Oh, Bog...” Marianne moaned. 

Without a word he pulled her shirt over her head and reached around to unsnap her bra. He cupped the back of her head, tugging her against him for a deep kiss. She could taste herself on his lips and tongue. His fingers threaded through her short hair, deepening the kiss pressing his body against hers. He only pulled away long enough to strip off his own clothing. 

Marianne, smirking, let her eyes follow his movements as his body was revealed to her. He was gorgeous with long, lean muscles. She loved the way his torso tapered down to his thin waist and then to, oh, her most favorite part of his anatomy. When he was undressed, Marianne reached for him, but Bog simply lifted her up and carried her into the shower. 

Bog turned her around, pressing her chest against the wall of the shower, lifting her hips, Marianne balanced on her tiptoes, her fingers struggling for purchase on the slippery shower wall. Bog glided into her, easing in inch by inch until he was pressed up against her backside buried as deeply into her as he could. They groaned together, his mouth against her ear. He put his hands over hers wrapping his fingers with hers pressing her against the wall. His thrusts were long and deliberate movements, pressing deep into her, sending pleasant shudders all through her body. Bog groaned, kissing the side of her head. She was tight and wet. He loved the way she felt, the way their bodies melded together. 

Marianne arched back against him, tightening her grip around his shaft with her inner muscles. He felt so good and the way he was moving drove her exquisitely crazy. He hit just right making her groan with pleasure. He kissed and bit down on her shoulder lightly, thrusting with determination, keeping his movements short and focused. Their shared passion built until she came again, crying out. Bog pressed in hard and deep when she cried out, his own cry mixing with hers. They squeezed their fingers together as they climaxed together. He loosened his grip on her hands and slid his hands down her arms before wrapping his arms around her. He didn't pull out just yet—he simply held her, both of them happily enjoying the after moments under the steady stream of warm water from the shower head. Marianne smiled and wrapped her arms around his and leaned against him. “I love you,” she murmured simply. 

The smile she felt against her ear was soft and sweet. “I love you too.” 

* 

The next morning Marianne woke with a start. She had an idea! But when she tried to get out, Bog was curled around her, his long arm wrapped snugly around her hips. She settled back down. Okay, she thought, my idea can wait. The bed was warm and Bog felt good beside him. She smiled to herself thinking about the fact that she was going to be moving in with him today, that they were going to go get her things...wow...a big step, but it felt so right...perfect really. She grinned drifting off again when Bog pulled her closer and nuzzled against her neck. 

When she woke again it was to the smell of coffee. She realized that Bog wasn't in bed, but she could hear singing in the kitchen As she sat up she also realized that she could smell something delicious baking. 

She grabbed a pair of beat up denim shorts she kept here and a t-shirt of Bog's that read, “They call me Darth Baker.” She ran her fingers through her hair and headed into the kitchen. 

Bog was working in the kitchen singing to himself, his hair a mess. He wore a pair of jeans and another of the cute t-shirts, “I Bake: What's Your Superpower?” 

She grinned, winking at him. “I don't know if this relationship is going to work Bog if you keep baking without me.” She was standing with her hands on her hips. 

Bog turned smiling. “Good morning, tough girl,” he greeted her. “I made coffee.” 

She giggled moving over to the counter and grabbed the pot. “Yeah!! I love you even more now!” 

Bog chuckled. “And I made some savory muffins with prosciutto and chives this morning. Thought you might like the savory instead of sugary this morning.” 

“Oh my god, Bog. They smell so good!!” Marianne groaned, making Bog chuckle. 

Soon they were both sitting at the kitchen table with coffee and a couple of muffins. Marianne took a bite and groaned like she was having another orgasm. “These are fantastic!!” 

Bog blushed, which she found so adorable. Despite his accomplishments as a baker he still blushed when praised. 

“Bog...I had an idea this morning,” Marianne said around a mouthful of muffin. 

Bog lifted a brow. “An idea for what?” 

“Well...I thought, maybe we don't need a new location for the bakery. Maybe we could just do an internet shop.” She lifted her brows and pressed her lips together waiting for his reaction. 

When he didn't say anything, she continued. “Well, I figured you have this killer kitchen and we could have everyone slowly start working for us again...and if we need to expand there is always the garage and we could even do deliveries in the car or hire a guy for that...and we could start shipping your baked goods out. And not just here locally—who knows! Maybe eventually world wide...all from here...but...well...it might work...” She smiled. 

Bog frowned. By the distant look in his eyes, he was lost in thought. Marianne started to curse herself thinking that she probably should have done some research before she sprang the idea on him, but then he grinned. “You know, tough girl...that might actually work.” 

* 

Later that day Marianne called her sister and asked if she and Sunny would mind helping her move. Dawn screamed into the phone with an enthusiastic yes. Marianne laughed holding the phone out from her ear. “Okay, thank you Dawn,” she said appreciatively with a giggle. 

Soon the four of them were working to bring Marianne's belongings over to Bog's house. Marianne sat in her closet, going through her clothes, throwing them into boxes. Dawn was carrying a couple of lamps down and stopped to looked at her sister sitting cross-legged on the floor. “So—big step, eh?” Dawn grinned. 

Marianne giggled softly, blushing. “Yeah. Bog asked me after dinner at Dad's.” 

Dawn set the lamps down and came to sit by her sister. “Well, I know Dad is being bull-headed, but I can tell that you and Bog are in love.” 

Marianne grinned at her sister blushing. “Yeah.” 

Dawn leaned over and hugged her sister tightly. “I'm so happy for you! After all the Roland crap. I like Bog a lot and twice as many free baked goods!!!” Dawn squealed making her sister laugh. 

* 

It wasn't long before news somehow reached his mother, who showed up later that afternoon carrying several boxes of pizza with Thang and Stuff in tow, who carried several liters of soda. They were along to help with the moving too. Soon they had an impromptu moving party! 

Once they had gotten all of Marianne's stuff over to Bog's house, the two of them began making some baked goodies for everyone as a thank you. 

* 

By early that evening their small group sat outside on Bog's patio furniture, which consisted of four chairs and a table with an umbrella, all bought by his mom. 

Everyone was exhausted from the move. 

Pizza boxes and beer bottles sat on the table, along with a plate of cookies. Bog sat in the grass, leaning against the house, his knees bent, with Marianne resting between his legs. He had one hand resting on a raised knee with a beer he was nursing dangling in his long fingers, while his other arm was around Marianne's waist. She leaned back against him with a happy smile on her face. 

“So, your sister tells me you had an idea for an internet bakery?” Griselda sat in one of the four lawn chairs. She wasn't drinking a beer, but rather had opted for a glass of iced tea. The large umbrella cast a shadow over her, so Marianne and Bog couldn't quite see her features. 

“Well, I thought it might be a way to go,” Marianne confirmed. “I mean, we would still need a loan, but not like we would for a new bakery location,” Marianne said glancing around at everyone. 

Griselda grinned. She loved the way Marianne was saying “we” and Bog wasn't correcting her. AND they had moved in together...it would not be long before she got those wedding bells or babies...she wasn't really concerned about the order of such things. The only thing she cared about was that her son was very happy. She could see it in the relaxed way he held his shoulders, his arm around Marianne's waist. 

“Well I think it's a wonderful idea!” Griselda grinned. Bog looked a little surprised. “Really?” 

Griselda nodded. “Yes! It's the way of the future and besides, you still might eventually open a store-front later, but until then this will be a great way for you to get back on your feet after the fire.” 

Bog glanced down at Marianne with a smile. She turned to look at him and everyone there could see how much they were in love with each other. She hated the loss of the store, but seeing her son so happy...she sighed. At least one good thing happened from all of this. 

Thang spoke up. “Stuff and I would be happy to help too. I mean...” He glanced at Stuff who gave him an encouraging nod. “We would be happy to help on our days off until ya get the place off the ground.” 

Bog and Marianne smiled at the two of them. “That is really kind of ye,” Bog muttered his accent thickening a little with emotion. 

Marianne placed a hand over the one around her waist. “Thanks guys.” 

Dawn piped up. “Sunny and I will do what we can too.” 

Sunny nodded in agreement with her. “Sure thing. I can make deliveries.” 

“I...” Bog glanced down at Marianne. “We...don't know how you thank you guys.” 

Everyone smiled and settled in for the evening, happily talking bout what they could do to get the new bakery off the ground. 

* 

It wasn't long before news of Marianne moving in with Bog King reached Roland. He was so angry, smoke could have come out of his ears. But to top it all off, he had heard from a girlfriend at the bank that Bog King had been in there with Marianne Summerfield for a loan...to start an internet bakery. Roland had thrown several breakable items in his apartment at the wall in response. This whole thing had gone beyond him simply wanting Marianne back. Now it was about winning at all costs. He had to destroy their relationship. Burning the bakery had only been a minor set back rather than the end of Marianne and Bog's fling. He snarled and slammed his fist against the wall. If only Marianne had stayed stupid. He narrowed his eyes, absently noting the spots of blood on his roughed knuckles. 

He was going to destroy Bog King—one way or another.


	11. Baby Cakes

A couple of months had passed since their online bakery had gotten off the ground and everything seemed to be going surprisingly well. The arson on the bakery had been put behind them, though it was still under investigation. Marianne knew Bog would still like to catch the culprits, but he had gotten to a place now where he could let it go and focus on the now. That was in a large part because of Marianne, but also his mother who had told Bog that his father would want him to focus on what he had in his life now...not an old building with ovens and utensils, but rather a woman who loved him and a future ahead of them. Together they could forge their own place, much like his mother and father had once done. 

Now Bog and Marianne were both happier than either had previously thought possible. Marianne had fully moved in with Bog and they had a rhythm with baking and delivery that worked for everyone. Together they had just started to actually make a profit instead of only breaking even. Dawn had had the bright idea of painting Bog's car to advertise the bakery...which at first he hadn't been too sure about, but with some steady persuasion and gentle podding, they now how a colorfully painted vehicle with cakes, cookies and donuts that advertised their online bakery: 

“Fairy Cakes and Goblin Treats!” 

* 

It was a Friday night in the middle of November when Marianne started to get sick. Bog was in the kitchen looking adorable in a pair of boxers with silly little hearts all over them, a gift from Marianne, and a t-shirt that read “I Bake Because Punching People is Frowned Upon.” He was also barefoot as he made them homemade chicken pot-pies for dinner. Marianne was sitting on the couch looking through some new menu designs for the website and organizing orders they had received for the holiday. She swallowed the nauseous feeling washing over her. The wave of sickness came out of nowhere as they had been for days now. Just looking at the pictures of baked goods on the website would make her feel ill sometimes, and lately the smell of chocolate chip cookies made her want to hurl. She yanked the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped the heavy quilt around her shoulders dropping sideways hoping that lying down would help. Great, the flu...wonderful, she thought. That was all she needed, what with the holidays coming up and them finally getting large orders! Marianne stuck her bottom lip out. 

She was about to get up and get some antacids from the medicine cabinet when a message popped up on the screen. “Marianne, we need to talk. Roland.” 

For a moment she considered simply ignoring it, annoyed with herself for forgetting to block Roland, but with a glance toward Bog she sighed. Might as well see what he wanted. 

“What?” she typed back. 

“Can we meet? I just want to talk to you about a job.” 

“I have a job Roland” 

“I heard of the online bakery crap. I'm talking about a HUGE order.” 

“From you? No.” 

“Please?” 

“Why can't you just tell me here?” 

“Because I have a few other things I want to talk about with you. I want to settle things between us.” 

Marianne sat there and stared at the screen. More money from a big baking job would be great since there were several things they needed to purchase still...and she wanted to be able to get Bog something for Christmas, something special. But she also knew Roland couldn't be trusted...shit... 

“Fine, we can meet for lunch.” 

“Great! Can you meet me tomorrow at Kreuger's?” 

“Fine, 3.” 

“See ya then!” 

Marianne slammed her computer shut. 

Bog jumped and turned around. “Marianne? You okay?” 

She smiled. “Yeah, just...my stomach's off.” 

Bog walked over to sit down by her feet. He leaned over and ran his fingers gently through her hair then laid the back of his hand against her forehead. 

“You don't have a fever, so that's good. I know my Mom has been under the weather. Someone mentioned the flu is going around. I thought you got your shot? Anyway...Why don't you go lie down? I'll have dinner ready soon.” 

Marianne sighed. “I did get my shot, but you know that isn't a guarantee right? I don't know if I feel like eating.” 

Bog's frown deepened in clear worry. “That's fine love. You just go lie down. I'll be in there to check on you in a little bit ,okay? Maybe some soup later?” 

Marianne nodded. “Maybe.” 

Bog stared at her for a moment, then suddenly leaned down and surprised her when he scooped her up easily off the couch, blanket and all, and carried her to their bedroom. 

“You just relax my love.” He nuzzled her which made Marianne laugh. 

“I'm not an invalid you know?” 

He grinned. “I know.” He ignored her and pulled the blankets back, demonstrating how strong he actually was by holding her with one arm. Then he laid her down and snuggled her into the bed tucking the blankets around her. 

“I'll finish up the pies and be right back.” 

She smiled up at him. “I love you.” 

Bog smiled. “I love you too, my tough girl.” 

* 

The next day, Bog was busy making a large order of chocolate bourbon pecan pie cupcakes with a really delicious butter pecan frosting they had come up with that had been a big hit so far this season. Marianne told him she was heading out to pick up a few things for Thanksgiving. She had given him a kiss on the cheek with a promise to be back soon. 

She actually was running out to pick up a few things, but she hated lying to him about meeting Roland. Meeting Roland would have Bog blasting through the roof, but she wanted to hear Roland out, not sure why...maybe it was a way for her to close the door on that part of her life completely, to have a one on one conversation that ended everything entirely. But she also liked the idea of getting some money out of Roland. They could use the money even though things were getting better for the bakery. 

She sighed. She couldn't do it. She couldn't lie to Bog. Marianne had just stepped outside the door closing it behind her. Lying to Bog, even over something trivial was not how she wanted their relationship to be...she wanted only the truth. Marianne turned right back around hurrying back inside. 

"Bog, I need to tell you something." 

Bog had just slid some cupcakes into the oven and stood up with a questioning look on his handsome face while he wiped his hands on his apron. 

"Everything alright?" 

Marianne sighed. "I'm also meeting Roland for lunch." 

Bog went very still. "What?" 

"He messaged me last night and said he had a huge order he would like to send our way, but he would only discuss it over lunch with me. He also said he wanted to clear the air between us." 

She chewed her bottom lip watching Bog's response. 

Bog stared at her. She could see the anger boiling up, but he was doing his best to control his temper. 

"Why didn't you tell me right away?" 

Marianne looked down at her shoes. "I didn't want to upset you and I was feeling so sick last night, but I can't lie to you." 

Bog stared at her and to her relief his face broke out into a smile. 

"Thank you." 

"Thank you?" Marianne frowned. 

"For coming back and telling me." 

He walked around the table and came over to gather her into his arms. Marianne buried herself in his embrace smelling the delicious fragrance of pecan and bourbon on his skin and clothes. 

"If we can get some money out of Roland, then good. Just promise to be careful. I don't trust him." 

Marianne swallowed; her eyes burned with unshed tears as she wrapped her arms tighter around Bog's waist. What had she ever done to deserve this man? 

"I love you so much. I'm so sorry I was being stupid." 

Bog held her tight. "You're not stupid, I understand Marianne and I trust you. I do." 

Marianne felt suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. She couldn't seem to help the tears that started to flow down her cheeks. She was being silly, but she couldn't stop herself from crying. 

"Oh Bog." She tightened her embrace. 

"Hey it's fine Marianne. I'm not mad I promise—don't cry." Bog gently took her face in his long fingered hands and tilted her head back. Tears were running down her cheeks. 

"Marianne? Are you sure that was all?" 

She sniffled. "Yeah I'm sure. I don't know why I'm crying like this..." 

Bog tenderly cradled her head against his chest and rocked her a little. 

"Hey why don't I come with you? I could wait in the car. We can go as soon as those cupcakes are out of the oven." 

"Are you sure? Won't that put you behind on the order?" But her voice was hopeful. 

"Nah, it'll be fine." Bog smiled and tilted her face back up to his so he could kiss her. 

* 

Bog drove with one hand on the wheel and his other hand on Marianne's knee. She leaned against the window, feeling sick again. Bog frowned glancing sideways at her as they drove. 

"You sure you don't want me to come inside with you?" 

Marianne shook her head. "No I'll be fine." 

"You still not feeling well are you?" Bog squeezed her knee. 

"No. I can't seem to kick this...." She closed her eyes. 

"Why don't I get Thang to come over and help me with the baking? You just rest." 

Bog's voice was warm with concern and love. 

"Maybe...let's see how I feel after talking to Roland." She said back. 

"You might want get some shots afterwards...you know from cooties." Bog grumbled. 

Marianne snorted and thumped him on the shoulder. 

"Ow!" Bog laughed. 

* 

When Marianne opened the door to the restaurant she was assaulted by the smells of cooking food, fried onions, hamburgers...who knew what else. Everything smelled extra...gross. She immediately paled. Her stomach did a flip and she felt just the slightest bit dizzy. 

"Damn it,” she muttered. She shook herself and walked over to wait for someone to seat her. A young woman in a white skirt and sweater with perfectly coifed blonde hair came over with a smile. 

"One or are you waiting for someone?" 

"I'm supposed to be meeting Roland Knight." 

"Oh yes, right this way." The woman led Marianne to the back fo the restaurant to a private booth where Roland was already seated sipping on a beer and playing with his phone. 

When he saw Marianne he broke out into his classic "model" smile that let him get away with anything. 

"Marianne!" He actually stood up waiting for her to be seated. 

Marianne slipped her coat off, and took her seat. "Hello Roland," she said in a relatively neutral tone, proud of herself for being civil despite her displeasure at being in 

Roland's company and feeling the weight of the flu. 

Roland smiled, then frowned. "You look bad; that jerk treating you alright?" 

Marianne narrowed her eyes. "Call Bog a jerk again and I'm leaving." 

Roland pressed his lips together then took a sip of his drink instead of answering. 

The waitress came over. "Can I take your order?" 

Roland smiled ordering a chicken salad sandwich. Marianne ordered white soda and a turkey club sandwich. 

After the waitress left Marianne turned to Roland. "Okay, so this big order?" 

Roland smiled. "Well I wanted to talk about us first." 

Marianne sighed before she took a sip of her water. "Roland, there is no us and there will never be an us." 

Roland started to run off at the mouth unable to keep himself in check. 

"Marianne, seriously? What are you thinking? I mean Bog King? I mean...the man isn't that talented and look at him...he is what? A bug? I mean, he looks like one of those stick bugs and he has to be old enough to be your father!" 

Marianne's eyes narrowed dangerously. "One more word Roland...." 

Roland sighed. "Fine, fine...My mother is putting on a holiday gala and my bakery can't handle all the orders she wants by ourselves so I'm putting out feelers for other bakers to pick up the excess and well...I thought I might throw a bone to you Marianne." 

The waitress came back at that point with a tray holding Marianne's drink order. Marianne gratefully took the soda, the coolness of the glass against her palms helped her rolling stomach. 

She took a sip. "You know what Roland?" she said in a tone that was not as civil as before. "I don't think this was such a good idea." 

She set her glass down and started to push herself up, gathering her coat, but Roland reached out to grab her hand. 

"Marianne...please...just come back to me? We can work past all of this—I can forgive you." 

Marianne stared down at Roland. After cheating on her, the incident at the bar, the bake-off and then Bog's personal tragedy with the bakery burning down and now here was Roland, saying all these nasty things about Bog and then he says again...AGAIN that he would forgive her!! Like all of this had been her fault. 

Her temper was rising, and her stomach was roiling. She needed to leave. She felt sick and weak and angry as hell. 

Roland stood up and slid his grip up from her hand to arm. 

"Marianne stop!! You're making a scene! Just listen to me!" 

She turned around ready to let him have it. If he thought she was making a scene just wait until she started to verbally rip him a new one, but then her stomach decided to do something else...with that, Marianne vomited all over the front of Roland's shirt and slacks. 

Roland screamed. He actually screamed and then in mid-scream, Roland vomited. 

Marianne gagged, almost vomiting again, though it was more of a dry heave as she turned and hurried to rush out of the restaurant. 

She held her stomach nearly running to where she could see Bog in the parked car reading a book waiting for her. She opened the door and threw herself into the seat and groaned. 

"Drive!" 

Bog was startled dropping his book when Marianne threw herself into the car. 

"Marianne?" 

"Bog, just drive. I need to go home." 

Bog frowned doing what she asked. She looked pale, green around her eyes and moaned. They had only gotten a mile when she groaned. "PULL OVER!!" 

Bog screeched the wheels to the right pulling up to the curb just as Marianne opened the door and vomited. 

"Oh God Marianne! Are you alright?" 

"No! I just want to go home." 

Bog drove quickly, but carefully. Luckily Marianne didn't need to pull over again as he pulled up quickly into the driveway and then hurried around to help her out. 

"Should we go to the hospital?" Bog wrapped an arm around her waist as he led her back into the house. 

"No, no I'm fine. I just need to lie down. " 

Bog got her into the house and straight to the bedroom where he helped her strip and put on some warm fuzzy pajamas with little fat kittens printed all over them, put socks on her feet, and then he tucked her into bed. 

"I'm going to make you some tea, okay?" 

Marianne smiled. "That sounds good, thanks." 

He smiled back at her. "I love you." 

"I love you too Bog. Oh and Bog...I threw up all over Roland." 

Bog stood there in the door way for a moment and then he burst out laughing. Marianne grinned and started laughing too. 

* 

Later that evening Bog prepared some home-made chicken soup. Marianne was propped up in bed still reading. Bog's mother was due over any minute. She was bringing some cold remedy, an old family recipe that Bog remembered being forced to take as a kid. For a moment, he thought about refusing to have his mother give it to Marianne...he didn't want her to hate him after all! But the goopy, black syrupy stuff actually worked well. 

He had just set the lid on the pot of soup to let it simmer when he heard a knock at the door. 

Bog opened the door to see his tiny mother standing there, carrying supplies in two plastic grocery bags. He immediately reached down to hug her. 

"Thanks for coming over mom." 

"Of course sweetie. How's she doing?" 

Bog ushered his mother inside and closed the door behind her. 

"She seems okay. She just can't keep anything down. I'm making some soup to see if she can at least drink the broth." 

Griselda nodded. "I'll go take a peek, okay?" 

Bog nodded. 

"I'll be right back." Griselda set her bags down on the kitchen table and went to check on Marianne. 

* 

Marianne was sipping some warm tea when there was a knock on the door. 

"Come in!" she called. 

The door opened a crack and through the crack she could see Griselda standing there. 

"Oh hey Griselda. Come in," Marianne said with a genuine, if weak, smile. "What are you doing here?" 

"Well, Bog said you were under the weather so I thought I would bring over my own cold medicine recipe, see if we can't get you well." 

Marianne tried to control her expression. Bog had told her stories about this home made cold medicine of his mother's. She was not looking forward to it. 

"So when did you start feeling sick?" Griselda stepped into the room and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. 

"Oh a few days ago. I just can't seem to kick it. The weird thing is that I will feel better and I'm so hungry, but no sooner do I eat...then it starts all over again and I want to throw everything up." 

Griselda studied Marianne. She reached out and touched Marianne's forehead. 

"No fever...are you sick most often in the mornings?" 

Marianne nodded. "Yeah...mostly, but some smells really set me off! Melted chocolate is the worst right now." 

Griselda lifted an eyebrow at that. "Must be putting a damper on your baking." 

Marianne sighed. "Yeah." 

"Well honey I think you might have this for a few more weeks, but then you will start feeling better." 

"WEEKS?" Marianne groaned rolling away to pout on her side. "I've never been this sick in my entire life!" 

"Well, being pregnant does that to you." Griselda smiled. 

Marianne rolled back around. "What?" 

"Honey, when was your last period?" 

Marianne frowned. "Well, I guess a month and a half? Maybe...I've been so busy I haven't been paying attention." 

Griselda nodded. "And you're not on the pill?" 

"Well no...though I've been planning on seeing my doctor about it. I mean since Bog and I have gotten serious." 

Griselda nodded. "Using condoms?" 

Marianne blushed. "Mostly." 

Griselda gave her snort laugh. 

She stared at Griselda. "You really think I'm pregnant." 

Griselda smiled, her eyes becoming glassy with tears. 

"I would bet my life on it, Marianne." 

Marianne pressed her hands to her mouth blinking her eyes rapidly. 

"Do you want a baby?" Griselda asked softly. 

Marianne swallowed as she dropped her hands to her lap. "Yes. I mean Bog and I talked about kids in the future, but yeah...I mean yes, yes I do. You think Bog will?" 

Griselda grinned. "Yes dear. My boy has always wanted a family. Now don't say anything to Bog, but I think you should go to the doctor first thing and get a test. Then you will know for sure and then you can tell him." 

Marianne nodded as tears started to slowly run down her cheeks. 

"You think he'll be happy about a baby?" 

Griselda laughed. "Oh honey, I think Bog is going to be ecstatic!"


	12. Montrose Cakes

Marianne didn't want Bog to know anything about anything...just in case she wasn't pregnant. She made her appointment with the doctor and asked Griselda to go with her, telling Bog that he needed to work on the baking orders...which he did, but Bog, being the sweet, loving and supportive man he was, wanted to go with her. It took a great deal of convincing, and a white lie, to finally get Bog to stay home and work on the bakery orders while she took his mother with her instead. 

* 

Dr. Allison Froggart had been Marianne's gynecologist for the last year and Marianne liked her quite a bit. Froggart's office was not done in those typical “office” colors, but was a warm orange with wide open windows that looked out onto a small flower garden with a miniature fountain that the staff maintained. The waiting, the office, the exam room, all of it was warm and inviting making the patients feel comfortable. Dr. Froggart saw a wide variety of patients from low-income to the wealthy, treating every woman she saw equally. Which was another reason Marianne really liked her. 

* 

Marianne nervously bounced her foot and constantly worried at her nails while Griselda idly flipped through a magazine as the two women sat in the waiting room. Marianne stared at the fish tank trying to let the large yellow and blue fish inside distract her. She felt Griselda place a hand on her knee to quiet her bouncing. 

“Honey, you don't have anything to be nervous about.” Griselda smiled at her. 

Marianne sighed. “I know...I mean...I think I know....” 

Griselda patted her knee. “You and Bog are going to be great parents. Don't worry.” 

Marianne smiled leaning over to hug Griselda with one arm. 

“Thanks. I'm glad I have you here with me.” 

Griselda hugged her warmly. “I know I can't replace your own mother, but I think of you as the daughter I never had. You've made Bog so happy. Plus I'm excited! I get to be a grandma!!” Griselda laughed. 

“Bog makes me very happy,” Marianne whispered. 

Griselda smiled softly at the younger woman. 

“Marianne?” A nurse dressed in a bright red dress with matching sneakers was holding a door open to the back where the exam rooms were located. 

“Oh, here!” Marianne jumped up at the same moment wanting to smack herself in the forehead for yelling “Here!” like she was in school. 

When Marianne was a couple of steps to the door she turned around when she realized Griselda wasn't with her. “You coming?” 

Griselda grinned and stood up. “Of course.” 

* 

Back at home, Bog was nervous. He had been worrying about Marianne for the last several days. She had thrown up every morning since the incident with Roland. His mother was with her at the appointment while he focused on getting their orders ready for delivery today, but he couldn't stop worrying. 

It wasn't normal to be that sick...was it? 

He had just put some pumpkin spice danishes into the oven when the doorbell rang. He wiped his hands on his apron, one that Marianne's sister Dawn had bought for him with sunflowers printed all over it, and went to open the door. 

“Hey Bog!” Thang stood there with a bag of sandwiches from a local shop. “I brought lunch!” 

“Thanks for coming over to help, Thang.” Bog led Thang into the house. 

“Hey, no problem. Sorry Marianne's not feeling well.” Thang set the bag with their lunch on the kitchen table as Bog took off his apron, walking to the fridge. “Tea?” Thang nodded. 

Bog continued. “She's at the doctor with my mom. I'm worried. This sickness has held on longer than even the flu should have.” 

Bog poured them each a glass of iced tea walking over to the table and setting the glasses down before taking his seat. 

Thang was pulling out the sandwiches. “Well, sometimes those stomach bugs can hold on for a long time.” 

Bog leaned on table, his hands covering his face for a moment . 

“Thang....I don't know what I'll do if something serious is wrong with her. I love her so much.” 

The emotion in Bog's voice was raw. 

Thang blinked. This was not the Bog he was used to. Bog was a fantastic, almost magical baker. Bog was also grumpy, Bog hated love, and Bog got things done. Bog did not confide in him and Bog did not get upset...at least not like this. Thang reached out and laid a hand on Bog's shoulder. 

“I'm sure she's okay, BK.” 

Bog looked at Thang between his fingers. Thang was struck by the pain in his blue eyes. 

Bog muttered, the sound muffled behind his hands “You think so?” 

Thang smiled reassuringly. “Yeah, I'm sure.” 

Bog laid his long-fingered hands down on the table staring down at them. “I'm going to ask her to marry me.” 

Thang perked up. “Really?” 

Bog nodded. “Yes. I love her Thang. I really love her.” Bog smiled tracing invisible figures on the table. “She is my best friend. She is just...everything Thang.” 

Thang grinned. “You have a ring yet?” 

“Not yet, but I was thinking about asking her before the holiday.” Bog glanced up at Thang. “What do ye think?” 

Thang nodded. “I think that's great!!” 

Bog smiled and nodded. “Thanks Thang.” 

Thang beamed a huge cheery smile. “No problem BK.” 

Bog smiled. “I have the perfect ring picked out. If the bakery does well this month, I should be able to save some aside for a ring for her.” 

Thang grinned. “She'll love whatever ring it is BK...I'm sure of it.” 

* 

Roland was sulking. He had no idea what else he could do. The physical bakery was gone, but they had recovered and now had a new internet bakery that was fast becoming popular! And to top it off Marianne had moved in with Bog King!! 

Roland didn't really care about Marianne anymore...if he ever had...but he did care about winning. He always cared about winning. He decided to do something rather childish, but it might be effective in pushing their new bakery down a slippery slope to failure. He pulled his desk chair out and sat down in front of his computer. He hadn't been lying to Marianne about the large order for his mother's party—that had all been true, but he was about to lie about the order. 

He sat down looking up their website and went about filling out the order form. He grinned nastily while he did. There was no way they would be able to complete this many cupcakes, cakes, pies...any of the baked goods he ordered for his mom's party in this little amount of time. Roland wasn't just giving them the overflow...he was giving them ALL of it! Roland could lay back and do nothing! He wouldn't have to make anything for his Mom's party, Bog and Marianne's bakery would fail, his mother would get pissed, everyone would hear about it and boom...Bog King's career ruined and Marianne would realize how stupid she had been to break up with him, but no...he would not take her back until she begged. 

Roland sighed happily with his dream and he started to laugh. He stopped himself when he realized he sounded a little crazy. 

* 

Marianne kicked her legs a little while she sat on the edge of the exam table while she and Griselda waited for Dr. Froggart to come back. Griselda distracted Marianne from her nervousness by telling her stories about Bog when he was a baby. 

The older woman sighed. “He was such an adorable baby with those huge blue eyes and a tiny pointed nose. He was always so serious as a child, took everything to heart.” 

She smiled tenderly at the memory. 

“Oh, you should have seen him Marianne! When he got bigger, he was so tall and gangly, his eyes were so big they took up his whole face. Even when he was a baby he never seemed to be able to keep meat on those bones of his, almost skinny even then.” 

Marianne smiled. “I bet he was adorable.” 

“Oh he was, watching him bake with his father are some of my favorite memories. Bog standing next to his father at the counter on a footstool with his little apron on.” 

Griselda sighed. 

Marianne laughed. “I would love to have seen that.” 

“Well you and Bog should come over for dinner some time and I can show you all the baby pictures.” Griselda grinned. 

Marianne laughed with a vigorous nod. “Oh it's a date!” 

That was when there was a knock at door. The door opened as Dr. Froggart came back in. 

“Okay, I have your results and congratulations! You're expecting!” 

Griselda squealed. Marianne gasped putting her hands to her face. “Really?” 

“Yup, really.” Dr. Froggart smiled and then continued. 

“Okay, so let's get you a prescription for prenatal vitamins and get you set up on a schedule of appointments.” Dr. Froggart grinned. “Looks like we might have a July due date.” 

Marianne nodded and sat quietly. While the doctor spoke, Marianne slowly started to cry, tears silently flowing down her cheeks. Griselda came over and put her arm around Marianne's shoulders, her face all smiles while Dr. Froggart explained a few things about the vitamins, how much longer she could expect to be sick and gave her some paperwork to read. Soon the two women were on their way out setting up her next appointment. 

When they both outside walking to Griselda's car, Marianne turned and threw her arms around Griselda and started to cry. She had never in her life thought she would be here, happy, and now expecting. 

“Griselda, how should I tell Bog?!” Marianne clutched her shoulders. 

Griselda smiled at her. “Why don't you come over to my place? The best way to tell him is with a cake.” 

Marianne looked down at the older woman and grinned as she wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand. 

* 

Bog had started to roll out some dough for some poached pear and brown-butter tarts that had been ordered for a party that evening when he heard a ding on the computer stating he had received an order on their website. Thang was on the other end of the counter putting on the finishing touches to a platter of sbrisolona cookies that he was getting ready to deliver to a nice little Italian lady who had been coming to the bakery since Bog's father had been alive. 

Bog walked over to the computer, wiping his hands on with a clean rag. He leaned over, touching the mouse and rolled the screen down to the orders. Bog blinked at the size of the order that had just been received. It was an order for twelve cakes, sixteen plates of a dozen cookies and eighteen dozen cupcakes to feed up to one hundred and fifty people, all requested for a party tomorrow night and none of them were simple recipes, but baked items that were going to require quite a bit of prep. 

Bog stared at the order. They had the option to refuse any order, but as Bog's eyes ran down the item list he was also calculating the cost...if they could pull off this order, it would be enough to buy that new oven they had both been drooling over, some of the other baking tools they wanted and help him get the ring he wanted for her. Of course, if they failed this might be an incident that could take years to come back from, but if they succeeded... 

Bog pressed his lips together forming a thin white line as he contemplated the order. His finger hovered over the accept button. This was a make or break deal. In his mind's eye though, he pictured the engagement ring he wanted for Marianne...and before he could stop himself he hit the accept. 

* 

When Roland received the confirmation of the order he giggled and rubbed his hands together resembling both parts evil cartoon villain and nasty little boy. This was perfect. They would fall flat on their faces and Marianne would come crying back to him. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Roland spun himself around in his desk chair grinning the whole time. 

* 

Bog had just let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding when his cell phone rang. He picked the phone up, saw it was from Marianne and his heartbeat increased. He hit the button on the second ring. 

“What did the doctor say?” Bog blurted out. 

“Missed you too.” Marianne laughed in response. 

“Sorry luv, missed you, but seriously—what did the doctor say?” Bog sat down laying his free hand flat on the table. 

Thang heard Bog on the phone, glancing over for a moment hoping everything was alright before he went back to work. 

“She said I'm fine and that in a few day I should be over the sickness.” Marianne pressed her lips together on a smile, trying to keep the humor from her voice. 

Bog sighed in relief. “Oh that's wonderful news. I was so worried Marianne.” 

“Yeah. I also wanted to let you know I'm going to go catch something to eat with your mom. Speaking of—have you eaten yet?” Her voice dropped into her serious tone. 

“Yes, Thang brought some sandwiches over with him.” Bog rubbed at a stain on the table while he talked. 

“Good, tell Thang thanks for me,” Marianne said with a smile that Bog could determine from her tone. Bog was terrible at taking care of himself; she was glad Thang knew him well enough to make sure Bog was fed. 

“I will. I love you Marianne.” Bog spoke softly into the phone. 

“I love you too...with all my being, Bog,” Marianne said tenderly. “I'll see you in a little while.” 

* 

Marianne hung up her cellphone her eyes glistening. Griselda patted her hand. 

“Okay, so what shall we do?” Griselda grinned. 

Marianne rubbed her hands together. “Well, on the way here I thought of how to announce our pregnancy to him. I thought I could make three cupcakes, two big ones to represent us and one little one. If you have some fondant or butter cream I might be able to whip up some decorations to uh...get the point across. I'm not that good with fondant though.” 

Griselda smiled. “No worries. I'll just call Stuff. She is great at doing fondant sculptures.” 

“You think she would mind?” Marianne set off toward Griselda's kitchen while Griselda made a rude noise. “Not at all.” 

* 

“So what should we make?” Marianne had her sleeves pushed up, one of Griselda's aprons on...this one read “Your Opinion Wasn't in the Recipe” blazoned across it. Griselda had a recipe box with yellowed index cards inside and was sitting at the table going through them. “There was this cake recipe of my great grandmother's that Bog always liked as a kid. Ah! Here it is!” She pulled out an ancient looking note card and set it down on the table. 

Marianne came over to pick it up. The recipe was for a Montrose cake usually served with tea. Marianne's eyes scanned the recipe and soon she was whirling through the kitchen as Griselda pointed or told her where things were located throughout the kitchen. Together, the two women soon had dozens of Montrose cupcakes baking. The warm smell of currents, nutmeg with just a hint of brandy didn't make Marianne feel like she might throw up at any moment. It also could have been her excitement and happiness keeping the nausea at bay. Either way, Marianne was able to eat a small cheese sandwich while watching Stuff work her magic with some fondant. 

The ladies had decided that since Montrose cakes are usually tea cakes, which meant they were usually served without frosting, they they could still have “sculptures” on top of the cupcakes. This led to the idea of having Stuff design tiny baking utensils for the “cupcakes.” 

Bog's cupcake held a mixer, Marianne's cake, which was slightly smaller than Bog's held an oven thermometer and the baby cake, the smallest of the threes held a tiny fine-wired whisk. 

“Think he'll get it?” Marianne mused watching Stuff. 

Griselda was cutting up one of the extra cakes while the tea was seeping. “Not at first, but just let him ponder it out and he will...though make sure to give him a hint or two.” 

Marianne chuckled. 

* 

It was almost evening when Griselda drove Marianne and her little cakes home. They had stopped and picked up some pizza since Bog had been working all day and Marianne didn't want him to cook. 

When they pulled up in the drive way, Bog came trotting out to help with the pizzas and gave his mother a peck on the cheek. 

“Sure you don't want to stay for dinner Mom?” 

Griselda waved him off. “No thanks sweetie. You two have a nice evening and I will talk to you tomorrow.” 

Griselda waved at them both just before she pulled out of their driveway and drove home. 

Marianne grinned broadly. She was excited to tell Bog her news and was doing her best to remain calm. Bog, carrying the pizzas with one hand glanced at the covered plate in Marianne's. 

“Whatcha got there luv?” 

“Oh...you'll see...”


	13. Transportation Woes and Baby News

Bog gave Marianne a quizzical look. 

“What's on the plate?” he asked as he held the door open for her. Marianne walked into their place with a smile on her face. “Oh, you'll see.” 

Marianne stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the kitchen. It wasn't so much that it was a mess—it was organized chaos—but it was the sheer amount of baking going on...and still going on!! 

“Bog, what is happening?” Marianne asked in shock. 

Bog frowned. “Well...we got this order...a HUGE order, for tomorrow night,” he explained. “I have Thang over at his place making the cookies and I called in some favors for the use of refrigerators and a refrigerated truck for the delivery that I'm renting from Pare's brother—which is only going to cost us gas and a birthday cake for his kid in a couple of weeks.” 

Marianne set her plate down. “Where's the order?” 

Bog dropped the pizzas on the couch and stepped into the kitchen where he had the order taped to a cabinet door. He yanked it down and handed it to Marianne. She set her plate down on the table after carefully finding a space for it and scanned the order swiftly, her eyes widening. 

“Oh MY GOD! We're going to be baking all night!” 

“Yeah,” Bog agreed. “But if we pull it off we'll make enough that we can buy that oven we want...and it will look really great on our website...” 

“But BOG! It's...” Marianne shook her head in astonishment. 

Bog placed his hands on her shoulders. Marianne looked up into his gorgeous blue eyes. 

“We can do it Marianne, together, and with our friends' help, we can pull this off.” 

She held his gaze. The way he looked at her made her think that anything was possible. She stared a moment longer and then sighed. “Okay, okay...let me call Dawn. She and Sunny might be able to lend us their oven too.” 

Bog grinned. “That's the spirit. Come over here and sit with me. I have one of the cakes in the oven and I want to take some time to have pizza with you since I didn't get to see you all day.” 

Marianne sighed, for a moment thinking maybe she should save her news; they had a lot of work to do tonight and tomorrow. She picked up her plate with the little cakes on it still wearing its cover. “Let me put this in the fridge, then we can eat, and you can fill me in on how we are doing this. Then I can get started helping.” 

* 

The Montrose cakes were forgotten in the flurry of activity that occupied the two of them over the next few hours. Each of them went to work, Marianne wrapping an apron around herself like she was putting on armor, readying herself for battle. 

She grinned at Bog. “Let's do this!” 

Bog chuckled. “That's my girl.” 

Marianne and Bog worked with each other like a well oiled machine, reading each others thoughts and acting accordingly, exchanging only a few words while they worked. Bog would reach over Marianne's head to grab the mixer or a whisk, sharing a smile and stealing a quick kiss while Marianne was whipping frosting or batter with a bowl held against her hip. 

At one point during the cooking marathon, Marianne put some music on that allowed them to dance, creating a rhythm in the kitchen as the sounds of Jimi Hendrix's “Wild Thing” filled the kitchen. Bog and Marianne danced around each other, bumping hips with the music. At one point Bog grabbed Marianne around the waist and pulled her against him for an impromptu twirl around the kitchen that had her laughing. 

Bog purred as he spun her around. “Wild Thing! You make my heart sing...” 

Marianne laughed and sang with him when he spun her out then back into his arms. “Come hold me tight...” 

Bog smiled down at her, flour dusted across his chin and cheeks, and chocolate smeared across his chest. Marianne smiled, a streak of batter along her chin. Bog wrinkled his nose at her. “You are beautiful.” 

Marianne blushed. “You're an idiot.” 

“Yes,” Bog nodded with a chuckle, “but an idiot in love.” 

They did another spin to the music before Bog rolled her down the length of his arm, letting her go in front of the counter she had been working at a moment earlier, his fingertips dragging across her palm tenderly. 

* 

With all three teams working at their respective locations, (Marianne started referring to everyone as teams: Team Sunshine (Dawn and Sunny), team Thing (Thang and Stuff) and the Wild Ones, (Bog and Marianne) as the night wore on, it was beginning to look as if they were going to pull off what Sunny had dubbed 'the epic order.' 

Through the night and into the early morning, (and the infusion of coffee) all three teams were playing tag with the cellphones. While Bog was on his phone with Thang going through the details of what they were baking and how to pack certain items for transport, Marianne spoke on her phone with Dawn discussing last minute details. The groups kept talking back and forth discussing the orders, who was doing what, with explanations on how this batter should taste, what color something was supposed to be, along with discussions on how each order was going to be packaged and transferred. And finally, organizing the massive 'bakery train' as Marianne called it that would descend on the party who placed the order.

Marianne even organized everyone into sleeping schedules so that each group had someone grabbing a power nap while the other person worked. The baking couples were were acting like a well trained special ops group, everyone supporting the other groups and executing their orders almost flawlessly. Bog had always been impressed with Marianne, but watching her now, mixing a bowl of batter, her cellphone on speaker as she discussed with Stuff how to make the rosemary-lime sugar, Bog realized that she was more remarkable that he had realized. 

Bog knew the smile on his face—stealing glances at her while she talked and worked—was silly...he looked like a damn fool, he was sure of it...but watching her right now, he felt just a little bit more in love with her. 

* 

Around four in the morning, Marianne was finally able to push Bog into the bedroom. She had just arrived back in the kitchen from a nap and then struggled to push Bog out of the kitchen. 

“Go, I have everyone else on a nap rotation and that includes you. You need to catch up on some sleep too. You've had less sleep than anyone. Don't think I didn't notice.” 

Bog groaned. “I need to mix that honey and brown sugar frosting...You should nap first!” 

Marianne pressed her finger to his lips. “I just got up from one! You didn't even notice, did you?” Marianne narrowed her eyes at him, fists on her hips. “Bog, go take a nap. I can handle the frosting. You've been at this longer than I have, so you go nap.” 

Mentally Marianne was glad she hadn't told him she was pregnant...the man would have never let her help! 

“But...” Bog tried to protest with her finger pressed to his lips, but Marianne grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, then gave him a firm shove out of the kitchen with a playful smack on his rear. 

“You need at least an hour! Take a nap and shower. That's an order! I will have a fresh pot of coffee for when you wake up. Okay?” Marianne glared at him when Bog turned around to protest. Seeing the look of steel in her eyes, Bog put his hands in the air to signal his surrender. 

“Fine, fine, I'm going. Geez woman!” 

Marianne laughed as she watched him go. Daddy Bog, she thought to herself, her cheeks burning with happiness. For a moment the vision of Bog with a baby carrier on his front, baking with the baby cooing against his chest hit her hard and brought the sting of happy tears to her eyes. He was going to be a great father...when she told him. 

* 

Bog stumbled into the bedroom, dead on his feet. He managed to pull his shirt off before he landed on the mattress and was instantly out like a light, laying at an angle across the bed. He hadn't even had time to pull the covers back before he passed out. He slept for an hour and a half, unmoving, before the alarm that Marianne had set went off. Bog groaned, pushed himself to his feet and shuffled into the shower, stripping at he went. 

The warm water revived him while he scrubbed his hands vigorously over his unshaven face. The growl of his stomach was loud enough that the noise drowned out the sound of the shower. Bog then realized it had been nearly eleven hours since he had eaten last. 

He stepped into the kitchen feeling refreshed, though still tired. “Okay tough girl, your turn again!” 

Bog walked into the kitchen to find the woman he loved looking exhausted. From the way the apron she was wearing hung on her, she had switched aprons at some point, grabbing one of his aprons instead of hers, the cloth swallowing her tiny figure. She had a smear of chocolate across her cheek and on the tip of her nose that only seemed to enhance the dark circles under her eyes. Bog grinned. Even exhausted she was the cutest thing he had ever seen. 

Marianne grinned when she looked up and saw him. He looked sexy, freshly showered, and wore a clean pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and a smile. Her heart skipped a beat looking at him. She loved him so much. 

“I just put the coffee on,” she told him with a tired smile. 

Bog took the bowl from her that she had been stirring and planted a kiss on her chocolate covered nose. “Okay, go. I got this.” 

“Thanks.” She groaned, putting a sound to her fatigue and then shuffled away with a weary smile. 

Bog frowned slightly as he watched her go. She seemed more tired than she should be... 

* 

Bog had been working for almost half an hour when his stomach growled loudly again. The coffee was wonderful, but he needed some food. He had just opened the refrigerator intent to grab something, maybe a yogurt, when he saw the plate that Marianne had brought home with her. He reached in and pulled off the cover to see three cakes, decorated with little baking utensils. He smiled as he took the plate out and set it on the counter. He stared at it for a moment. Something was odd. Two of the cakes were the same size, but one of them was smaller than the other two. Bog frowned as he stared at them. 

“Now why on earth....” He frowned as he picked up the tiny cake and examined it, then he chuckled under his breath. “A baby cake.” 

As soon as he muttered “baby cake” another frown crossed his lips as his gaze darted back to the two normal sized cakes. Bog chewed his bottom lip puzzling it out. She had been sick in the mornings. His eyes widened as his voice came out in a hushed tone. 

“No...?” 

He continued to stare at the little cake in his hand, the information he had, started to form into only one scenario that made sense. Numbly, he set the cake down before he turned to rush down the hall toward the bedroom. He opened the door, but then stopped himself to stand unmoving in the doorway. Marianne was curled on her side, a blanket held up under her chin. He gazed at her and his heart melted. Bog's bottom lip trembled as tears burned his eyes. He didn't want to wake her and ask if the little cake meant what he thought it did... 

Bog stepped back, quietly closing the door, his eyes burning, and heart pounding. Once the door was closed he leaned against the wall. The tears started to flow freely down his cheeks. He loved her so much that his his chest hurt, his stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies. His emotions were erratic and chaotic: happiness, fear, love, terror, excitement...he...they... 

Bog swallowed again and wiped his eyes with the heels of his hands. He was doing his best not to get excited just in case he was wrong, but his heart told him he wasn't...he was going to be a father. 

* 

Marianne woke up feeling brand new and energized though she frowned slightly. The alarm hadn't gone off. She reached over for her cellphone, realized that the alarm hadn't woke her; she had simply woken up on her own, but that was the moment a wave of nausea hit her full force and she was forced to run to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet when she threw up. 

Sitting on the floor Marianne groaned, one arm around the toilet. “God, I will be glad when this part is over! Couple of more weeks...couple more weeks.” She repeated her mantra that the doctor had told her as she flushed the toilet (feeling better) and started the shower. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she let the warm water wake her up further. Bog...he had probably snuck in and messed with her alarm. She tried to be angry, but it was a sweet gesture. The jerk. 

* 

In the kitchen, Bog had the stereo on and was bumping his hips in time to the music, a huge grin on his face that had been there for the last several hours. The musical 'happiness' of “I Can't Help Myself” by the Four Tops filled the kitchen, Bog singing along while he pulled a rosemary corn cake out of the oven. He had slipped back into the bedroom and turned the alarm off after a half hour into her nap to allow Marianne to get sleep. If she was pregnant, she would need plenty of rest, he had told himself. He had been buzzing all morning, not feeling the least bit fatigued. He had just pulled out what he hoped was the last cake when he heard the pipes in the wall moan, signally that the water had come on. 

Bog grinned happily as he made Marianne a large glass of milk...no coffee. He stopped baking to scramble some eggs, tossing bread into the toaster and a bowl of oatmeal as the song on the stereo switched. Bog started to sing along while he set out breakfast for Marianne, belting out “Strange Magic” by ELO. 

* 

Marianne dressed, slipping on a pair of leggings and one of Bog's old t-shirts (which read across the chest “Weekend Forecast: Baking with a chance of Drinking”) that hung to her knees. She ran her fingers through her damp hair as she walked over to pick up her cellphone, her eyes going wide when she saw the time. She had slept nearly eight hours! 

Marianne huffed in frustration before she stormed out of the bedroom. “BOG!” 

Bog poked his head around the corner with an incredibly dorky smile, she thought. “Hungry? I made you breakfast.” 

“Why did you let me sleep so....” she asked just as she came around the corner and stopped. Laid out on the living room table, she saw that Bog had set out breakfast: eggs, toast, milk, oatmeal, juice...and one tiny Montrose cake. 

Marianne turned to look at Bog who was gazing at her, his eyes shining, hands behind his back. His apron was smeared with chocolate, what might have been raspberry filling and something she couldn't quite identify along with a new dusting of flour and powdered sugar on his face. 

“Is it true?” he asked, his voice almost a whisper, as if afraid to ask too loudly. He nodded staring at her then at the tiny cake on the table. Marianne could read everything on his face, his fear, his excitement. 

Marianne smiled slowly, her face beaming and nodded. “It's true.” 

Bog walked slowly over to her taking her hands. “We're going to be parents?” he asked. 

Marianne virtually glowed as she confirmed for him, “We're going to be parents.” 

The next thing Marianne knew, Bog yanked her up against him, her face buried against his warm, chocolate smelling chest. One hand cradled her head, the other pressing against her lower back. 

“Oh Marianne!” Bog gulped and she gasped when she heard him start to cry. 

“Bog? Bog?” Her own tears started to fall, though she wasn't sure why for a moment until Bog pulled back and cradled her face in his hands and started to kiss her. 

Then she knew exactly what the tears were—happiness. 

* 

Later Marianne sat on the couch holding her bowl of oatmeal and spooning in bites. At first she had refused the breakfast telling Bog how she had just been sick, but with a bit of pushing, Bog got her to take a bite of egg; suddenly her appetite came back with a vengeance. 

“Why did you let me sleep so long though?” Marianne frowned between bites. 

“Because yer pregnant and you need yer sleep.” Bog smiled mixing up a new patch of pumpkin pie frosting. 

Marianne sighed about to protest when Bog pointed at her with the spoon. “Don't you dare argue with me.” 

Marianne snapped her mouth shut and wrinkled her nose at him, but she continued to eat. 

Bog shook his head. “I still can't believe my mother knows and she didn't call here every ten minutes to see if you had told me...and I'm surprised you didn't come home with a crib and a million bags of baby clothes since she had you in her soon-to-be grandma clutches!” 

Marianne laughed. “I'm sure that will be coming.” 

“Does anyone else know?” Bog asked. 

“Just Stuff, she helped with the little decorations on the top.” Marianne scraped the last of the oatmeal up with her spoon before sticking it in her mouth. 

Bog laughed. “I can't wait to see Dawn's face!” 

Marianne giggled. “Me either but...” she pointed with her spoon again. “Not until after we deliver all of this tonight. Maybe we can have everyone come over for a celebration dinner and I can tell everyone then?” 

Bog nodded. “Everyone will be exhausted, but a celebration would definitely be in order.” 

Bog chewed his bottom lip in thought. “What about your father?” 

Marianne's face fell. “I don't know.” 

Bog washed his hands quickly and came over to sit with her. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. 

“You need to tell him. It's his first grandchild. He may not like me, but he will love our baby.” Bog kissed the top of her head. 

“You think so?” Marianne turned to look at him with tears at the corner of her eyes. 

“Yes, I do.” Bog smiled gently and then leaned in to kiss her. Their kissing turned from slow and sweet to deep and passionate within a matter of moments. Marianne had the urge to shove him back on the couch and have her way with him, but Bog, with a deep chuckle, stopped her. 

“Tonight...after everyone leaves, okay?” He laughed, though Marianne could see the desire for her in his eyes. Marianne groaned. “Fine, you're right...we have too much to do right now. Ugh! I'll be so glad when this order is done!” 

* 

Putting the baby news on the back burner was difficult since they both wanted to call everyone they knew, but with the mountain of work they still had to do to get this order done on time, they put their news aside and focused on work. By late afternoon, every part of the order was ready. Bog had ordered sandwiches from a local deli delivered, grabbing Marianne by her shoulders and shoving her into the living room. 

“You eat while I call about that refrigerated truck,” Bog ordered. 

Marianne frowned. “But...” 

“No buts—baby needs food...go.” He pointed. Marianne opened her mouth to protest since they had a handful of cakes that still needed frosting, but of course that was the moment her stomach growled loudly. 

“Fine! You two win!” Marianne laughed patting her flat stomach. 

* 

While she was sitting on the couch digging into a very berry turkey sandwich (a turkey, cream cheese, cranberry sauce, lettuce, mayo on whole wheat bread which was to die for), Bog finished with the frosting. Biting into the her sandwich had Marianne groaning with pleasure. She could hear Bog on the phone. He was talking normally when she heard him curse. 

“What the fuck? Who took it?” Bog snarled. 

Marianne turned around looking over the back of the couch. 

Bog hissed. “Fine, I know it's not your fault. How many of the smaller ones can I get? Two?” She saw Bog walk by pinching his nose in frustration. 

“Yeah, yeah. I'll make it work. No, no I know...it's fine. I appreciate the help. Okay, I'll be over to pick them up...yeah. I have someone else who can drive, no...no it's fine. Thanks.” Bog hung up his cellphone and for a moment he looked as if he might throw it against the wall. 

Around a mouthful of food Marianne asked. “What happened?” 

Bog groaned. “We had a truck lined up, one big enough to handle all the baked goods, but someone took it this morning.” 

“Stolen?” Marianne stood up in shock. 

“No, no I don't think so, just a miscommunication...I guess.” Bog shrugged in defeat. “Anyway he had two smaller ones we can use, but they still aren't going to be big enough.” 

Bog walked over and threw himself down on the couch. He glared at his own sandwich without picking it up. Marianne pulled his head down to her lap. Bog shifted position so his head was lying on her lap while he could look up at her. She stroked her fingers through his hair. “I know my dad has a couple of 70 quart coolers—I bet I can grab those.” 

Bog frowned and reached up to stroke her cheek. “What if your dad says no?” 

“He won't.” Marianne nodded. 

“He might just because he wants to see us fail...see me fail you.” Bog sighed dropping his hand. 

“Bog, leave it to me. You just make arrangements to have a couple of cars, okay? Trust me.” Marianne grinned down at him and Bog rolled his head to kiss her belly. 

“All right. I'm going to call Thang and have him come pick me up so we can grab the trucks.” Bog sat up and gave Marianne a quick kiss. 

Marianne nodded as she stuffed the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth. “I'm calling Dawn so we can get those coolers,” she mumbled around her mouthful of food. 

Bog laughed grabbing her into his arms when she stood up. He held her tight as he stared down at her. 

“We are going to be parents,” he whispered with awe. 

Marianne giggled and swallowed her bite. “Daddy.” 

Bog chuckled as he wrinkled his long nose at her. “Mommy.” 

They both started laughing. Bog pressed his lips against hers before letting her go. 

“Okay, I'll be back in a jiffy...hopefully.” 

* 

Dawn pulled up just as Marianne walked out the door, locking it. Dawn leaned out the driver's window. “So are we going to sneak in and steal the coolers or are you going to tell Daddy what you want them for?” 

Marianne laughed as she slipped into the passenger seat. “I am just going to ask and he is going give them to me.” 

“You don't think he will say no?” Dawn started the car pulling out, looking over her shoulder as she talked. 

“No. Daddy may be angry about my choices, but...” Marianne looked down at her hands. 

“He hasn't mentioned you or Bog in weeks...I really don't know how he feels.” Dawn sighed. 

“Well...I don't think Daddy wants me to fail, do you?” Marianne asked glancing at her sister. 

“I think he just wants to talk to you and has no idea how to do it.” Dawn smiled at Marianne. “This is actually the perfect chance for you two to make up.” 

Marianne nodded. “You're right. I think I will invite him over tonight.” 

“Tonight?” Dawn gave her sister a quizzical look. 

“Tonight, after this craziness is over, Bog and I want everyone to come over to celebrate.” Marianne grinned. 

Dawn laughed. “That sounds great! Sunny and I can bring some pizzas!” 

Marianne laughed. “We are going to need a lot of food. I will grab some take-out Chinese too.” 

Dawn grinned. “My stomach is growling already. Took all my willpower not to get into the baked goods Sunny and I have been working on all night for this party.” 

“Thank you for your willpower!” 

The two sisters laughed as they drove home. 

* 

Dawn pulled up in front of their family home and turned off the engine. The sisters sat silently and stared at the house. Marianne was suddenly nervous. 

Dawn frowned. “Marianne, it's okay. It's our Dad.” 

Marianne took a breath. “You're right. Let's go.” 

They stepped out of the car, shut the doors and started up the path. Dawn stepped up to the front door and shoved it open with a very loud, “I'm back Dad and I brought someone who wants to talk to you!” 

Marianne heard her father from the living room. “In here Dawn sweetie.” 

The two sisters went into the living room where their father, Dadga, sat in his favorite chair with a cup of tea looking over something on his laptop. He glanced up smiling, then his face froze when he saw Marianne. 

“Marianne.” He said her name softly. 

“Hi, Daddy.” Marianne smiled just a little. She was about to say something else when her father jumped to his feet and grabbed her in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. “I am so happy to see you,” he said in a rush. “Oh honey, I am so sorry about how we left things!” 

At first she didn't know what to do, but then Marianne started to cry. Oh God, she thought to herself, is this how my pregnancy's going to be?? Everything either makes me angry or I cry? 

Her dad smiled and let her go, but he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I'm so...Marianne...I'm sorry.” 

“What?” Marianne frowned. 

Her father took a deep breath. “I'm sorry. I...I should respect your decisions. Your choices. If you love Bog King...then...well...honey I want you in my life no matter what. This is stupid...I'm being stupid...I've missed you and...well...” He sighed. “I did some research on Bog King...” 

“You did what?” Marianne sighed, but her father shook his head. “After Roland...after all of that, I just. I was wrong about him honey. Bog is...well...he's a good man and I'm sorry for being pig-headed, but I felt like I let you down with Roland. I took him at face value...and I didn't want to do that again. Can you forgive me, for everything?” 

“Oh Daddy, yes!!” Marianne hugged him hard and kissed his cheek. “Bog and I are having a get together tonight. Will you come?” 

Dagda frowned. “Are you sure?” 

Marianne nodded. “Yes, we have some big news.” 

Dagda smiled a little and nodded. “Just tell me what time and I'll be there. I'll even make some of my famous chicken enchiladas.” 

Marianne laughed hugging her father again. “That will be perfect Daddy.” 

* 

Half an hour later, the sisters were back in Dawn's car, the coolers piled behind them, taking up all of Dawn's back seat. “So, some big news, huh? You gonna tell me or do I have to wait?” Dawn asked with a quizzical look as she started the car. 

Marianne grinned. “You just have to wait.” 

“UGH!!” Dawn laughed, groaning in frustration. “FINE!! This better be good! I hate waiting!!” 

“Oh, it is.” Marianne smirked.


	14. Making cupcakes

As soon as Dawn and Marianne pulled up with the coolers, Thang and Bog pulled up behind them driving two smaller trucks. Bog leapt out of the driver's seat, rushed over to 

Marianne, and gently took her by her upper arms. “Are you all right? 

Marianne laughed. “Yeah, it was just a few coolers.” 

Bog glowered at her. “You know exactly what I mean.” 

“My father asked me to forgive him.” Marianne smiled softly. “For everything. He...he wants to make amends with the two of us. I invited him over to our little get together after this delivery.” 

Bog frowned for a moment, it was clear he wasn't sure what to think, but then he grinned. “That's great Marianne.” 

He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tight around her. Marianne laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of Bog's body, the beat of his heart wash over her. As long as she had him, as long as they were together, anything was possible. 

Bog let her go reluctantly and clapped his hands. “All right, let's get everything packed and loaded!” 

Bog put his arm around Marianne's shoulders. “Let's make this delivery and then our party!” He kissed her cheek with a whispered, “I love you.” 

Marianne smiled and reached up to stroke her fingers along his jaw. “I love you too.” 

* 

While Bog, Thang and Dawn were loading baked goods into coolers, Marianne dressed and fixed her hair. The other part of making this delivery a success was to show up looking professional. Marianne changed into a black sheath dress and a pair of purple scalloped ballet flats. She did her makeup,then took one more look in the mirror before she rushed out. 

Bog had just come in to pick up a stacked tray of cranberry chocolate chunk cookies when he stopped in his tracks to stare at Marianne. He grinned and gave her a wolf whistle. “You look hot.” 

Marianne waved him off with a shy grin. “Stop it. Here let me take that and you go change.” 

Bog frowned. “I don't know...” 

Marianne glared. “Bog, I'm pregnant not disabled. Go, you need to dress nice, look professional. Now go!” 

Bog set the tray down. “Okay, okay—going!” 

Marianne smacked him on the rear as he walked by her. Bog laughed with a smirk on his lips. “That's sexual harassment while we're on the job missy!” 

Marianne giggled. “Well, I plan on doing a whole lot more harassing later!” 

She heard Bog's laughter as he shut the door. Marianne quickly picked up the trays of cookies and headed outside. 

* 

Sunny had arrived with Stuff while Marianne was changing and he was now in the back of the truck helping Thang straighten up some of the cakes in the back of the truck. Sunny jumped out when saw Marianne coming down with the trays. Dawn was leaning against the side of the car looking exhausted when she saw her sister. “Wow Marianne, you look all professional!” 

Marianne chuckled and hoped that her sister was correct. “Thanks, the baked goods are 99% of the job, but looking good is the last 1%.” 

Sunny hurried over to Marianne and took the trays from her. “Well that's the last of it..right? I mean the truck is full and so are all the coolers...” 

Thang popped his head out of the truck. “Oh, please say that's the last of them!” 

“Yep, that's the last of it. As soon as Bog is dressed we can dropp these off at the client's and give ourselves a pat on the back for doing the impossible!” 

* 

Across town, Roland was dressed in casual designer chic and enjoying himself. He sipped on a pear haymaker, appreciating the tantalizing mix of pear and vodka and success. His mother was putting the finishing touches on everything for her party. The house looked as if a professional decorator had come in and designed the party, but Roland knew it was all his mother. The whole house looked as if it came right out of a “Home and Gardens” magazine lay-out. All the food had arrived, except for the baked goods. Roland couldn't stop grinning. This was going to be such a spectacular failure that Marianne and Bog would never recover, especially once his mother made sure everyone knew who had failed her. It would be bye-bye baking career for Bog King...maybe Marianne would even leave him, not that Roland wanted her back, he just wanted to see her crawl back to him, begging for him to take her back. He could then kick her in the face. 

Roland chuckled sipping his drink when his mother stepped over to his side. “Shouldn't those bakers be here soon? I really don't understand why you simply didn't make the order like I asked.” She frowned at her son. His mother was a lovely woman. People always said she looked like Faye Dunaway and she did. Roland's mother took very good care of herself and it showed in her demeanor as well as in her physical qualities. Tonight she was dressed in a burnt orange lace dress that was tea-length, her long blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Although, right now she looked worried. Roland grinned. “Don't worry about it mother I'm sure. Besides, I told you I'm just too busy.” 

“Well I hope they are good.” She sighed. “And on time.” 

The knocker at the door sounded then. Roland's mother hurried over to answer it, with Roland trailing behind her. His mother opened the door and Roland nearly dropped his drink. Standing there looking professional and smiling, were Bog and Marianne. 

Bog, dressed in black slacks and a black and grey cable sweater, smiled. “Mrs. Knight? We're the bakers, 'Fairy Cakes and Goblin Treats.' We have your order ready.” 

* 

Marianne had to keep herself from staring. It was Roland's mother! She couldn't believe it! She hadn't bothered to look at the name for the order; she had left that to Bog, but when they pulled up the drive to the large mansion sized home, she had felt her heart racing, since she instantly recognized it as Roland's family home. But it wasn't until she saw Roland standing behind his mother that everything clicked into place. Roland had to have placed that huge order...He had to have been hoping they would fail...there was no other possible reason for Roland giving them this order. He usually did all the baking for his mother's parties...that rat bastard had tried to sabatoge them! 

Marianne grinned and thought to herself that he was probably shitting himself right now. 

Mrs. Knight saw Marianne and burst into a bright smile. “Marianne!! Oh my goodness! This is your bakery?” 

Marianne smiled and took Mrs. Knight's offered hand. “Mine and my fiance Bog's.” 

Mrs. Knight really 'looked' at Bog then, studying him for a moment and apparently deciding she liked him. “Well, I am just so happy it was you Roland gave this order to! That was so kind of him! I had heard you had started an online bakery, but I didn't know the details. And you're engaged. Oh darling that makes me so happy. I always thought you were too good for my son.” 

Roland gasped. “Mother!” 

Mrs. Knight sighed with a glance over her shoulder at her son. “Well it's true dear. I love you darling, but Marianne is a nice girl and what you did to her...I'm ashamed to call you my son sometimes. Well anyway, enough of that,” she said calmly. “It's a pleasure to meet you...Bog, is that correct?” 

Bog took her hand and shook grinning. “Yes it is ma'am.” 

Mrs. Knight beamed. “I don't suppose you could stay for the party could you? I would love to catch up.” 

“I'm sorry Mrs. Knight,” Marianne said with a soft smile. “But we still have a lot of cleaning to do back home. This was quite an order.” Marianne laughed. 

Mrs. Knight laughed too. “Well, you know how I like to throw a good party.” 

Bog smiled at her. “This is quite a sizable order, do you have a space for us to put everything?” 

Mrs. Knight nodded. “Here—right this way and I can show you where you will be setting up everything. Though I hope you have some help so I can steal Marianne, at least for the time you're here. Oh Roland, why don't you go help carry the dessert items in for them, hmm?” 

Roland balked. “Mother!” 

Mrs. Knight narrowed her eyes. “Roland, behave and act like the gentleman I know you can be. Go. Help.” 

She then put her arm around Marianne's waist and led her away. Bog grinned. “Yeah Roland, come help.” 

Roland hissed and fumed, but he stomped out the door without further comment. 

* 

Mrs. Knight held both of Marianne's hands. “I never did get to tell you how sorry I was about my son. I love him, but...well...he takes after his father.” 

Marianne squeezed her hands back. “It's all right. Really, he did me a favor. Without what happened, I would never have ended up working for Bog...and well...I'm very happy now Mrs. Knight. Bog and I are expecting.” 

Mrs. Knight smiled, and suddenly there were actual tears in the corner of her eyes. “Oh goodness a baby too? Good. You deserve happiness Marianne.” 

Marianne hesitated for a moment and then hugged the older woman. “Thank you Mrs. Knight.” 

“Darling please, call me Susan.” 

* 

It took Bog and the others twenty minutes to bring everything in and set up for Mrs. Knight, but when they were done, the bakery table looked fabulous. Marianne even helped put some fake fall leaves around the cakes and cupcakes that Mrs. Knight had to add to the table. Mrs. Knight snagged one of the cranberry-orange spice cookies and took a bite. “Oh my God...this is so good!!” she said around her mouthful. 

Roland was glowering in the corner like a little boy who had had his trick spoiled, which he had. Mrs. Knight gushed. “These are perfect! Oh, I am going to make sure everyone knows about your bakery! It's online you said?” 

Marianne nodded. “Yes, Fairy Cakes and Goblin Treats.” 

Mrs. Knight smiled. “I love the name! So creative! You should take notes Roland dear. Don't worry, by the end of this party everyone who is anyone will know about your bakery.” 

Bog and Marianne shared a look of triumph. Marianne smiled at Roland who only sneered back. 

* 

It was late by the time everyone arrived at Bog and Marianne's house. Everyone had brought some sort of a food with them. Dawn and Sunny stopped on the way back to get the makings for some non-alcoholic hot spiced cider. Marianne's father showed up with the promised enchiladas, Thang and Stuff brought sandwiches from a local diner, while others brought chips and dip, rolls, Chinese food and pizza was ordered for the impromptu celebration party of a job well done...and of promised news. Bog called everyone who had worked at the bakery before the fire so that the house was full of family and friends. 

* 

Marianne was sipping her glass of punch, smiling with happiness. She had been smiling so much since they left the Knight house that her cheeks hurt! This was the push their bakery needed; with Mrs. Knight's influence their bakery would lift off the ground and who knew? Maybe they would be able to buy a location for a physical store again and keep the King legacy going... 

Marianne touched her stomach with a gentle smile. They already were in one way. 

* 

It was quite late and everyone had eaten. Soft music played in the background while their family and friends milled about just enjoying each others company when Bog decided it was finally time to make their big announcement. 

Marianne was over with her sister and his mam in a small huddle talking. Thang and Stuff were on the couch with Sunny and Dagda talking about sports. Bog smiled. He never really realized how many people were so important to him until now. 

With a smile, Bog walked to the middle of his living room carrying a glass of punch with him. The tall man raised his glass up calling out. “Everyone! Everyone, can I have your attention please? Marianne and I have an announcement.” 

Everyone in the room became quiet as they all turned their eyes to him. Bog saw his mother leaning against the wall next to Dawn—her smile was soft and content with happiness for her son. She smiled and winked at Bog making him chuckle. Marianne covered her face with her hands for a moment where she stood next to Griselda. 

“Marianne come here!” Bog motioned for Marianne to come over to him, which she did, suddenly self-conscious. Bog took her hand, kissing her knuckles before putting his arm around her shoulders leaning down to whisper. “You should tell them.” 

Marianne blushed, then took a deep breath. “We're pregnant,” she said without preamble. 

Before anyone else in the room could react to the news, Dagda leapt to his feet with a shout. “YES!! I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDPA!” 

** 

Two Years Later: 

Marianne was humming softly while she adjusted the setting on the industrial mixer, holding Fergus on her hip. The little boy, who was dressed in blue overalls and a red shirt, his little feet bare, looked a great deal like his father except soft and round, with spiky black hair, soft baby features with the shadow of sharp lines that would emerge as he matured and eyes the color of cornflowers. He was playing with the necklace his mother was wearing while she prepared the batter for carrot cake cupcakes, an order for a birthday party for some clients. 

She smiled at Fergus as she bounced him on her hip. “You like Mama's necklace?” 

Fergus grinned, his cheeks rosy. “Pretty.” 

She laughed softly. “So, you wanna help Mama make the frosting?” 

Fergus' eyes lit up. “Yes!” 

Fergus loved to bake. He had been helping his parents almost as soon as he could walk. Marianne set him down on his feet with a little “boop” on his nose. “Okay, you let Mama get all the ingredients together and then we can sit at the table and make the frosting while we wait for Daddy to come home. Okay?” 

Fergus grinned. Marianne could see the shadow of Bog's smile in her son's and it made her heart squeeze tight with happiness. 

While she was gathering the ingredients, Fergus went to his own cabinet, one that Bog and Marianne had cleaned out to allow Fergus to keep his own set of pots and pans along with plastic cooking utensils they had bought him, not childern's toys (Fergus knew the difference), but real bakers' tools that were safe for him to play with while pretending to bake. Fergus pulled out his plastic bowl, a plastic spatula, and some plastic measuring cups working to take each item to the kitchen table. Marianne grinned watching the little boy struggle with his plastic bowl that was almost as big as him. 

Marianne carried over the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and the vanilla. She picked Fergus up and put him in his highchair, setting his bowl and spatula on the tray for him. 

She cut off a hunk of the warmed cream cheese to put in his bowl, then showed him how to measure the vanilla before she cut up some butter for him. Marianne then showed him how to measure the sugar with the measuring cups. Fergus watched everything with serious blue eyes. 

Marianne then measured out what she needed for the cupcakes and the two bakers set to work. Marianne mixing with a spoon while Fergus copied her with his spatula. 

That was how Bog found them when he came home. Marianne had used a tasters spoon to scoop out some of the frosting for Fergus to try and the little boy was pouting. 

“More nilla Mommy, more nilla!” 

“More vanilla? You really think so?” Marianne chuckled. 

Bog laughed. “You should really listen to the boy Marianne, he's a world class baker.” 

Marianne laughed. “Look Daddy's home!” 

Fergus struggled to see his Daddy over the back of his chair, but Marianne quickly unstrapped him coming over to Bog. Fergus was reaching for his Daddy all smiles. “Daddy! Daddy!!” 

“And were you a good boy while Daddy was gone?” Bog wrapped his arms around his wife and son hugging them close. Marianne laughed. “Oh he was a peach as always.” 

Fergus made a face. “Peach, yuck!” 

Marianne looked up at Bog with anxious eyes. “Well?” 

Bog grinned down at her. “The building is ours! 'Fairy Cakes and Goblin Treats' now has a store front!” 

Marianne squealed. “YES!” 

Fergus wasn't sure what his parents were so happy about, but the little boy clapped his chubby hands together. “Yeah!” 

Bog kissed his son on the head laughing. “Yeah indeed.” 

The three of them walked back to the table, Bog sitting down with Fergus on his lap. Bog bounced the little boy making him laugh and squeal. “So how was your appointment?” Bog asked. 

“Well...good.” Marianne grinned. 

Bog narrowed his eyes at his wife. “What is that look for?” 

“Well, it seems I have some news too.” Marianne went back to stirring her frosting. 

Bog frowned. “News?” 

“Yes...looks like in about seven months Fergus is going to have a little brother or sister,” Marianne said without looking up from her mixing bowl. 

Bog stopped bouncing his son and stared at Marianne. “What?” 

Marianne just giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicate this last chapter to my friend royal-flush-gang. I hope it cheers you up. :)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [My Strange Magic Fanfiction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4456706) by [Random_DATA](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_DATA/pseuds/Random_DATA)




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